The Pumasacha Project: Protecting the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, its inhabitants, teacher plants and master trees
Tiny Dendropsophus minutus rainforest tree frog, in the Pumasacha rainforest reserve. Photo © El Mundo Magico
The ”Pumasacha” project is a private jungle reserve of nearly 100 acres in the Northern Peruvian Amazon (off the – only – road linking Iquitos with Nauta city), near the Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve. Aside from being in line with our commitment in supporting, promoting and actively sustaining eco-cultural biodiversity in the Peruvian Amazon, and aside from standing as an island of pristine wilderness surrounded by farmland and agricultural plots where the original rainforest has been destroyed for the cultivation of edible crops, it strategically borders the magical shamanic retreat centre and many of the shamanic rituals with Master trees will actually take place here.
A Remocaspi teacher tree, in the Pumasacha rainforest reserve. Photo © El Mundo Magico
We have chosen to give the name “Puma Sacha” to this splendid reserve, in honour of the plant teacher (that goes under the same name) dieted by bancos to shape-shift themselves into jaguars.
Home to wild cats (ocelots and jaguarundi have been spotted there), birds, small mammals, reptiles, jungle squirrels, monkeys, rodents and lots of amphibians, this rainforest area has lots of native plants and trees of medicinal and shamanic interest, including – among countless others – the Remocaspi, Chullachaki caspi, Alcanfor Moena, and Copal trees, wild varieties of Uña de Gato (Cat’s Claw) and the now endangered Liana de Agua (water vine).
Casha pona palm trees on the edges of a jungle stream crossing the beautiful pristine rainforest reserve of Pumasacha. Photo © El Mundo Magico
Escalera de Mono jungle vine, in Pumasacha. Photo © El Mundo Magico
Sacred Copal master tree (centre), in Pumasacha. Photo © El Mundo Magico
Mimetic ”Leaf frog” (left), in Pumasacha. Photo © El Mundo Magico
Allobates femoralis poison frog in the Pumasacha reserve. It is commonly known as the brilliant-thighed poison frog, or brilliant-thighed poison-arrow frog. Photo © El Mundo Magico
Dendrobates reticulatus – reticulated poison frog – in the Pumasacha reseve. Photo © El Mundo Magico