A collection of interviews with local guides and community members of Upper Amazonia

Photo of Fausto Sarmiento standing in front of a mountain, giving a thumbs-up

Fausto Sarmiento

Could you please give us a brief summary of your academic career and its relationship to this project? I am a montologist with a BS in Biology, a MS in Tropical Ecology, and a PhD in Landscape Ecology. I grew up in Ecuador, where I engaged with academic pursuits studying flora and fauna both at…

Zancudococha Lake stretches under a blue sky in Ecuador.

Patricio Alvarado

Guide and manager of tour operator “Ecuador in color.”
Recorded on July of 2023.

A blue and green bird sits on a branch in the Amazon rainforest.

Siekopai Community

Members of the Siekopai Community at Puerto Estrella.
Recorded on July of 2023.

Two monkeys sit in a tree in the Amazon rainforest.

Rita Yumbo

Member of Kichwa indigenous community “Playas de Cuyabeno.”
Recorded on July of 2023.

A group sits in a canoe, travelling on water through the Amazon rainforest.

Amarun Pakcha

Members of the Amarun Pakcha NGO. Recorded on July of 2023.

A Green Jay bird, sith green and yellow feathers and a dark beak, sits perched on a branch in the Amazon rainforest.

Diego Prado

Naturalist Guide in Waita Lodge. Recorded in Waita Lodge, July of 2023.

A green and blue bird sits perched on a branch in the Amazon rainforest.

Carlos Díaz

Naturalist Guide in Waita Lodge. Recorded in Waita Lodge, July of 2023.