Recently, one of The Deep’s Aquarists travelled to Peru to assist in hands-on conservation tasks to safeguard seabirds and marine mammals, as part of the Punta San Juan Program. Supported by a team of volunteers, the program has been conducting research, monitoring and ensuring the conservation of wildlife in situ for over 30 years.
Tasks varied from monitoring Humboldt penguin transits between land and sea to track their routes and assess potential impacts from guano harvesting, to less glamorous yet vital jobs such as sifting through fur seal faecal samples (scat) to monitor the surrounding marine ecosystem.Volunteers also rolled up their sleeves for a beach clean, hauling away plastics, discarded fishing gear, and other debris that threaten wildlife.
Lloyd Wilkinson, Senior Aquarist and Penguin Keeper at The Deep, said:
“When I first arrived at Punta San Juan it was an experience for the senses. The air itself was thick with the smell of guano before I even entered the reserve. The landscape was similar to a moon or an alien planet and there was a constant background noise from the seal colonies. It was then I knew I was in for some tough but rewarding work.”
Punta San Juan is part of the Peruvian Guano Islands, Isles and Capes National Reserve, which are managed by the National Service of Protected Natural Areas of Peru. This 133-acre peninsula is home to the largest colony of Humboldt penguins in Peru, as well as vast populations of South American fur seals and sea lions. It is also one of 10 most important breeding sites for guano birds.
The extraction of guano (rich in nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium) occurs every year on various islands and headlands within the National Reserve. These involve the mobilisation of over 150 workers who establish temporary camps to collect this valuable natural resource, which has been a cornerstone of Peru history for centuries. This generates a delicate co-existence between humans and the wildlife inhabiting these coastal areas.
The Punta San Juan Program collaborates with the Peruvian government to mitigate the impacts of guano extraction. Large machinery is never used for the harvest and instead, it is all carried out by hand. Walls have been constructed to create a divide between the birds and the workers, and the workers all wear pale clothes to blend into the surroundings.
The ecosystem faces threats such as habitat degradation, climate change and human activities. The fine balance between sustainable resource use and wildlife protection requires constant vigilance and adaptive management.
Lloyd continued:
What struck me most during my time at Punta San Juan was how forward-thinking this project is and how passionate the team behind it are. By refining guano harvesting practices the team is creating a model that could be used across the guano islands of Peru.”
“The lesson from this project was clear… with the right strategies, we don’t have to choose between agriculture and wildlife.”
To discover more about the Punta San Juan program and support their work, visit: https://www.puntasanjuan.org/english.php?lang=us