Going back home to Peru, especially to the Amazon, brought me back to familiar places, smells, flavors, sounds, and feelings. This trip marked the first stage of my PhD thesis fieldwork plan. My main objective was to introduce my research questions to key actors in the regions where I intend to work and, hopefully, establish collaborative agreements with them. I’m happy to share that these goals were achieved!
Madre de Dios and San Martin are two of the Amazonian regions in Peru that are rapidly losing rainforest cover. Both, along with other territories in the country, are facing the consequences of complex, interrelated drivers of deforestation. At the same time, these regions are hubs for territorial and conservation initiatives operating at different scales, encompassing a wide variety of governance models and led by diverse cultural groups. I have spent most of my years as a professional in biological sciences working and living in these regions. Both have profoundly shaped my experiences and relationships within the territories.
At the end of this post I share a collage of images and sounds that is meant to show some reflections on the sense of place. The Amazon rainforest exists in both urban and rural spaces. Life without rain is unimaginable—water shapes human and non-human activities, carving rivers and shaping highways. Landscapes are not only what is visible or hidden but also the journey: how we get there, what we hear and feel along the way, what is told, and what is experienced.
Conducting research in these places blends the familiarity found in faces and places with the novelty of ever-changing contexts and cultures. In a few months, I will head back again. I’m looking forward to seeing how the water, once more, ends up carving my plans and make connections flow.