Conserving the Corridor: Ecotourism

The story of Gilberto Vela Cardenas, an ecotourism lodge owner from Madre de Dios, Peru, who describes his experience as a participant in the Sustainable Livelihoods initiative with Conservación Amazónica (ACCA), in running an ecolodge in the Amazon. Ecotourism is one of the most important economic and social activities in the region, as people from all over Peru and the rest of the world visit the area to enjoy its spectacular wildlife and ecosystems.

This was a part of ACCA’s Manu-Tambopata Corridor project, a major effort to protect the rainforest in the area between Manu National Park and Tambopata National Reserve in Peru, an area heavily threatened by pollution and degradation from gold mining and other activities.