Rainforest Expeditions launches citizen science program Wired Amazon

02/02/2017 10:07

TAMBOPATA, Peru, Feb. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning Peruvian ecotourism operator, Rainforest Expeditions, announced today the launch of its citizen science program Wired Amazon, a collection of field projects that allow onsite and offsite community volunteers to contribute to long-term research and conservation efforts in Tambopata National Reserve.

The first two projects to launch include:

Aerobotany - citizen scientists have the opportunity to review aerial photos of the rainforest canopy from the comfort of their homes. The footage is captured by drones that monitor the canopy over 50 meters above the forest floor. This online project is the brainchild of Dr. Varun Swamy, an ecologist who has been doing research in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest since 2003.

Discover a New Species: Barcode Tambopata - guests at Refugio Amazonas Lodge help researchers with the analysis of field data and cataloging some the rarest species of insects. This project is linked to the International Barcode of Life project (BOLD), which is building a DNA barcode library, the foundation of a future DNA-based identification system for every living organism on Earth. Scientists are discovering, on average, one new species per month.

Wired Amazon allows citizen scientists to earn travel credits by categorizing photos taken in the Amazon through the Zooniverse platform. Volunteers earn $1 in travel credits for each classified photo, up to $300 per person, which can be redeemed at Rainforest Expeditions lodges during Science Season.

Guests who visit during Science Season (March 1st to March 31st) have the opportunity to work alongside some of the world's leading tropical biologists doing research at Tambopata. Throughout the month, new discoveries are made and scientists identify fauna, flora and new species of insects that increase our knowledge and understanding of the Amazon rainforest.

About Rainforest Expeditions

Rainforest Expeditions is an ecotourism company with science at its core. In 1989, the company built the first lodge, Tambopata Research Center, in order to have a base for researching the macaw population at the Colorado clay-lick. Twenty-eight years later, Rainforest Expeditions continues supporting research and conservation of the rarest species of this imperiled ecosystem. Rainforest Expeditions has three lodges in Tambopata, Peru, and the largest excursion offering anywhere in the Amazon. For more information, visit http://www.rainforestexpeditions.com/wiredamazon/