Ecotourism along Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul Corridor: Support for Biodiversity Conservation

The paper addressing the issue of biodiversity conservation along a newly proposed transportation corridor from Pucallpa, Peru and Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil. Current plans for this corridor call for the construction of a highway, but this paper supports a railway as a less intrusive means. In order to support biodiversity conservation along the new highway or railway a hypothetical ecotourism lodge located in the Sierra del Divisor Peruvian National Park is examined. Ecotourism is defined by The International Ecotourism Society as, “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people” (TIES, 1990). Ecotourism along the Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul corridor may have the potential to improve conservation while providing a modest income to local residents. Paper prepared for the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar/Geography Capstone