WHAT IS

AMAZONCAM?

Across the Tambopata National Reserve, Rainforest Expeditions, and Dr. Mark Bowler from the University of Suffolk, and Mathias Tobler from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has laid down a non-invasive grid of cameras traps equipped with motion sensors. The cameras are triggered when movement is detected, therefore helping us capture footage of wildlife deep in the heart of the Amazon jungle.

You too can participate by setting your own camera traps along the trails near Refugio Amazonas lodge.

WHERE IS

THE AMAZONCAM BIG GRID?

A 300 square-kilometer area located in the midst of the Bahuaja Sonene National Park and the Tambopata National Reserve, the Big Grid is the biggest area dedicated for long-term wildlife study in Amazonia. At present, we’re covered 200 square-kilometers, with plans to expand to the full 300 further into the Bahuaja Sonene National park.

HOW DO WE STUDY

JAGUARS IN THE AMAZON?

The map below shows the Big Grid, ranging from Refugio Amazonas to the Tambopata Research Center. It is divided into two blocks, one on each side of the river. Each blue dot indicates a camera station with one or two cameras. Why two cameras, you ask? Because the coat of each jaguar has a unique pattern of spots (comparable to a fingerprint) that allow us to identify individual jaguars, and having images of both sides of the animal helps with the identification. Every 3 months our field team visits each camera to download the images and replace batteries so the research continues uninterrupted. Images are collected and uploaded into the AmazonCam Tambopata project on Zooniverse where citizen scientist can identify the different animals

Jaguars are a magnificent species, but in-depth research on their populations and movements is still sparse. Our long-term research on jaguars, with plans to keep the project alive for at least 10 years, will give us important information on their birth and mortality rates, their territory size, and their diet.

While the focus of the study remains on jaguars, the large network of cameras, both on the ground level and in the canopy, are triggered by all movement. This allows citizen scientists and researchers from all over the world to study other mammals too, including but not limited to pumas, ocelots, white-lipped peccaries, tapirs, giant anteaters, olingos, sloths, monkeys, and kinkajous. There may well be many species that live exclusively in the canopy, waiting to be discovered.

Begin walking the road to wildlife discovery by logging onto our Zooniverse.org project you can take part in our research and help us conserve the National Reserve of Tambopata in Peru.

With greater knowledge on the biodiversity in the Amazon jungle, you can help us design better arguments to support conservation strategies while providing valuable information to the Natural Protected Areas authorities (SERNANP) to help them assess the efficacy of active conservation strategies and decide if they need to be expanded, revised, or kept active as is.

Come join us in the most biodiverse place on the planet as we conduct the world’s largest long-term study on wildlife, bridging ecotourism, citizen science, biological research, and natural area protection to promote bio-literacy.