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About
Inkaterra Canopy
Imagine walking high above
the rainforest, seeing the jungle ecosystem in the same
way that the birds who fly above see it. Canopy
Inkaterra, opened in 2005, allows visitors to do just
that.
This 344-meter
(1,135-feet)-long complex of seven hanging bridges, six
treetop observation platforms, and two 29-meter
(95-feet)-tall towers-woven through the crowns of the
tallest trees-offers visitors glimpses of rare and
unusual flora and fauna, impossible to see from the
ground.
It is considered one of
the safest canopy walkways in the world. The
ground-level Interpretation Center is packed with
information about the rainforest and its ecology.
Funding for the canopy project was provided by the World
Bank and the National Geographic Society.
THE LAST BIOLOGICAL
FRONTIER
This system of bridges,
platforms, and towers offers an expansive window onto
the world of the tropical rainforest. It enables us to
better understand life, the cycles, and the
interdependent relationships among the various organisms
inhabiting the canopy.
Inkaterra Canopy is considered to be one of the most
modern and sophisticated in the world, both due to its
camouflage design and because the specialists who built
it used ecological materials to prevent negative impact
on the environment. The canopy walk enables visitors to
enjoy an in-depth look at one of the most productive
ecosystems in the rainforest: an enormous food factory
where key events for the development of life come
together.
Interpretation Center:
Here, visitors can learn about the ecological
features along the canopy walk, as well as
about the environment, the design, and
the construction of the Inkaterra Canopy
and the support work ITA carries out in some
of the communities of the zone.
Vertical Stratification: In Amazonian
rainforests, the average size of the tallest trees
ranges from 30 to 45 meters (98.4 to 147.6 feet). A few
trees grow above these limits, reaching 60 meters (199
feet), and many herbs, bushes, and small trees grow
beneath them. The conditions from the forest floor to
the highest treetop change noticeably as one ascends,
offering a large number and variety of habitats for
rainforest species. To explain its complexity,
researchers have suggested the concept of vertical
stratification of the rainforest.
Safety: The Inkaterra Canopy is considered one of
the most modern and sophisticated in the world. It is
also one of the safest, due to the use of special cables
and lateral mesh on all the bridges and because of the
construction of solid vertical towers. It is made from
the most resistant woods in the Amazon and the best
industrial materials brought from the United States. The
entire structure has a lifetime of more than 30 years
under Amazonian conditions, although the steel cables
can last longer.
Research and inventories of Inkaterra's Ecological
Reserve have been conducted since 1978. Among the
highlights are the inventory of insects by Professor
Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University (who certified
that
Reserva Ecológica Inkaterra is the area with the
greatest richness of ants in the world), the inventory
of plants carried out by Dr. Alwyn Gentry of the
Missouri Botanical Garden (with a registry of 1,070
species of vascular plants), the study of amphibians and
reptiles by Dr. William Duellman (published by Cornell
University Press in a 433-page book), the recording of
the songs of the birds of the canopy carried out by the
Peruvian biologist Edwin Salazar, and several studies
published by the University of Kansas. Wildlife studies
are still carried out for the purpose of establishing a
continuing plan for tourism.
Suggested program to
visit
Tambopata Reserved Area, 3 days / 2
nights.
Source: Inkaterra
Birds
sighted from
the Canopy and Tambopata area Photo Gallery:
Recommended Links:
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