KOSÑIPATA, Peru – “It’s the best road I’ve ever gone birding on, in terms of the variety of habitats and birds,” says Victor Emanuel, one of the pioneers of modern bird-watching tourism and founder of an ecotourism company, about the Manu Road, which he calls “the most pristine and rich area that I’ve ever been to in all my travels throughout the world.” With its harrowing turns and abrupt drops, the Manu Road passes through five different ecosystems, ranging from high-altitude grasslands to lowland rainforests, as it winds its way along the eastern boundary of Manu National Park in southeastern Peru. Traveling this road, which stretches 190 kilometers (118 miles) from Paucartambo in the highlands to the mouth of the Manu River in the lowlands, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many bird-watchers who come here for the rich biodiversity. According to scientists, Manu National Park is probably the world’s most biodiverse protected area, counting at least 1,020 species of birds, 228 species of mammals, 287 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 1,108 tree species. A roller compacts the dirt surface in preparation for asphalting of the Manu Road in July 2023. Image courtesy of Erik Iverson. Until last year, people could stop at any point along this dirt road to look for rare species. Then, from May to September of 2023, authorities quickly paved the road, allowing for greater motor vehicle traffic. According to experts and locals, this development has now put the area’s wildlife, its ecotourism industry, and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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