Chris Ketola knows exactly how to handle the rainforest’s most delicate inhabitants.
“We’re off to Peru again!”
This phrase always goes hand in hand with long to-do lists, chaotic working days and plenty of planning stress. However, there’s always that twinkle in our eyes, because none of us can wait to finally stand before a jungle giant once more (or for the very first time) and to hear, smell and feel the surrounding rainforest. For me, this will be my first visit to our conservation areas – and I can hardly wait!
A huge list of tasks to tackle
When we visit our conservation areas and the team at our local sister foundation, we’re usually there for 1–2 weeks – a fairly short time, considering how many tasks and objectives we have to somehow juggle in order to make the most efficient use of our time there.
This time, we’ve set ourselves the following objectives:
- to check on the progress of our local (research) projects, discuss progress and next steps with the on-site teams, and identify what is needed to achieve them
- show our ambassadors, scientific advisors and corporate partners what we’re achieving on the ground and what they’re supporting alongside us
- Produce media content for our communication channels and with our ambassadors – this time, for example, Jacob Beautemps and Robinga Schnögelrögel will be accompanying us – on a voluntary basis, of course!
- Giving WI staff (like me) their first taste of the old-growth forest they work so hard for every day
Weeks in advance, things are already buzzing; everyone’s excited, and in seemingly endless meetings we discuss packing and equipment lists, the allocation of tasks, timetables, itineraries and plans B, C and D – because once we’re there, nature and the weather will decide what works! All we can do is prepare all our fellow travellers as well as possible for their individual tasks. It certainly won’t be a relaxing holiday.
Experience the forest with all your senses
Anyone visiting our conservation areas for the first time should really experience the forest – with all its sounds, smells, colours and textures (although, of course, you should be extremely careful about what you touch in the rainforest). And ideally without a smartphone.
So here we are, jetlagged and tired – how many hours have we actually been on the move? – in the middle of the rainforest for the very first time. And we just can’t stop marvelling at it. Tears well up in my eyes. It’s a complete sensory overload – emotionally and mentally. Down below, the swarm of thousands of leaf-cutter ants carrying harvested leaves back to their nest; the loud call of some bird that sounds so very different from back home; and above us, a small group of capuchin monkeys throwing branches at us. The rainforest is simply teeming with life – and that’s what we want to protect! That’s why we’re all here.
Over the next few days, we’ll be exploring our conservation areas and, in doing so, learning about the many different aspects of the tropical rainforest and the work carried out by our team on the ground. The vast majority of the forest in the Amazon region is evergreen tropical rainforest – the ‘typical’ tropical rainforest. Near the river, however, we also occasionally come across so-called ‘floodplain forests’, where, now that the rainy season is drawing to a close, the water is still so deep in places that even our wellies can’t stop us from getting wet. But that doesn’t matter at all. For hours on end, accompanied by researchers and forest guardians, we explore our protected areas and try to take in the knowledge we’re being taught.
A particular highlight is the Canopy Tower, which is around 40 metres high. As we climb, we can finally see the different levels of the rainforest at eye level – in theory, at least. I’m more preoccupied with overcoming my fear of heights. Once we reach the platform, we find ourselves at the same level as the imposing treetops – only the gigantic Lupuna, the most impressive tree I have ever seen, still towers above us. Up here, we see many of the birds we’ve been hearing for several days now for the very first time. 60–90 per cent of the rainforest’s biodiversity is found in the treetops – now, for the first time, this figure becomes tangible.
A team that gives it their all for the rainforest – day and night
The rainforest never sleeps – and neither, it seems, do our researchers and forest guardians. There’s hardly any time for anything else when the day begins at 4.30 am with birdwatching and ends at 11 pm with bat research. That’s exactly what our schedule looks like, as we make the most of the time to accompany the local team in their work as often as possible.
Our forest guardians usually set off early to check the various areas of our protected areas every day. We’re allowed to accompany Stefany and Xiomara on their rounds. Along the way, we keep an eye out for signs of illegal activity, check whether the boundaries of our protected areas (such as boundary stones and signs) are still intact or need replacing, and record any animal sightings on a biodiversity data sheet. These excursions are certainly no walk in the park! The terrain is uneven, the narrow paths are sometimes heavily overgrown, and by midday it gets hotter and hotter, even under the protective canopy of leaves. We quickly learnt the two most important basic rules: never set off alone and always drink enough water!
Chris Ketola, Head Field Research Coordinator at WI, starts his day just as early. In the mornings he goes birdwatching; in the evenings he carries out bat research, caiman transects or night walks, during which he keeps an eye out for other reptiles and amphibians. He greets the animals he finds as if they were old friends – “Hey, Buddy!” – and handles them with the utmost care. You can tell from every moment you spend with Chris just how much he loves the rainforest and all its inhabitants. Some scientifically significant animals are carefully examined, weighed, measured and, where necessary, tagged in case of a future encounter. The data collected, which is also fed into an international database, helps us to gain insights into biodiversity in our protected areas. This enables us to identify trends and developments, draw conclusions about the health of the ecosystem and the effectiveness of our work – and tell you exactly who lives in the areas you’re helping to protect.
Insights into Chris’s work
Chris works day and night with birds, bats, caimans and other reptiles and amphibians.
Bird research helps us to determine the presence and population levels of species in our protected areas.
Over 100 species of bat live in our protected areas!
On our night walk, we came across this Brazilian wandering spider – one of the most venomous spiders in the rainforest.
During caiman surveys, Chris takes morphological measurements and collects tissue samples for an ongoing mercury project.
A real highlight for me: capybaras by the river at night!
What are transect?
A transect is a set of measurement or observation points along a straight line. Transects are used methodically in scientific disciplines to establish a spatial relationship with the subject under investigation. Transects are often used in field surveys (mapping) and – as in our case – in ecology (botany and zoology).
Nadine Holmes, Mammal Research Coordinator, is also always up early. However, this isn’t just down to her work, but also to her sweet little daughter Hyla, who keeps the whole research camp on its toes. On her transects, Nadine studies jaguars, tapirs, peccaries and other animals. She is aided in her work by camera traps set up throughout our conservation areas. This allows us to determine quite accurately which mammal species call the Secret Forest home. Just recently, we recorded a mother jaguar with two cubs very close to the research station! I’m actually seeing some animals, such as the cute paka – a small rodent related to our guinea pigs – on the footage for the very first time.
Insights into Nadine’s work
Nadine studies mammals in our nature reserves. Our camera traps are particularly helpful to her in this work.
Nadine studies mammals in our nature reserves. Our camera traps are particularly helpful to her in this work.
Analysing the images reveals a number of highlights.
Take, for example, this giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) ...
Or a little paca (Cuniculus paca) that sneaks past at night.
Our projects on the ground also focus on environmental education, for example for schoolchildren. Ana-Paula Bezzolo, one of our forest rangers, proudly tells us about her environmental education project, through which she has already introduced the work of Wilderness International to several schools and explained to the children the many reasons why we absolutely must protect the rainforest and its inhabitants. A few classes have already visited our research station. A ‘Green Classroom’ is currently under construction, right next to the forest guardians’ station. Our aim is to welcome school classes there on a regular basis in future.
Of course, we also popped round to our agroforestry trial plot. Many of the plants that were planted during the last expedition are already taller than us, and it surely won’t be long before the açai palms bear their first fruit. A little further on, together with forestry scientist Šimon Hrbek and botanist Gabriela Veneros Zerpa, we were able to get stuck in ourselves and plant cocoa as well as two different species of palm. The trial plot is designed to find out which plants grow well alongside one another and benefit from each other, and which insects are attracted to which plants. We share this knowledge with the communities taking part in our project. You can find out more here.
But of course, the camp isn’t made up solely of researchers and forest guardians. There are also numerous volunteers from all over the world who support the team, the boatmen who take care of transporting people and supplies – you won’t find any roads here – and Bladi, our brilliant cook and probably the most important person in the Secret Forest! No matter what time we got up, fresh, delicious coffee was always ready! The food is always delicious, well-balanced and provides enough energy for the long, strenuous days in the rainforest. Vegan, vegetarian – no problem at all. I’m already missing those delicious pancakes for breakfast, which somehow always tasted of a hint of orange …
The Forest in our hearts
Even the best of times come to an end, and so at some point we’ll be heading back to Germany too. When exactly? No idea. Time moves at a different pace in the rainforest. The days fly by far too quickly, yet are packed with so many new experiences that we don’t have a chance to take it all in during such a short time. Even though we weren’t always out and about together, the experience has brought us closer together. The forest, the encounters with wildlife and, above all, the people – the last few days have deeply moved each and every one of us. And I think that, in our hearts, we’re all taking a little piece of the Secret Forest home with us.
The author
