View of Quebrada Cerro Blanco
My name is Elliott Lang, I am from South Devon in the UK and I am currently studying Ba. Geography at the University of West England in Bristol. I’m volunteering with EcoSwell at Lobitos, Peru for 5 months as an NGO management intern. With my time here at EcoSwell, I’m hoping to learn more about the logistics of running an NGO and increase my knowledge of the ongoing projects I am involved in such as Surfonomics and Lobitos Verde (Green Lobitos) and hopefully, have a positive impact on Lobitos. Lobitos is a perfect place for me to work as surfing is one of my passions in life and “las Olas estan buenazas en Lobitos!” (the surf is sick in Lobitos!). Allowing me to pursue my passion for sustainability and surfing in the same place!
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On Friday 19th October Daria Fortin (another EcoSwell volunteer for the Reforestation/Conservation project), Diego Almendrades (an EcoSwell Director
@diego-ecoswell) and I set off at sunrise on a trek to Cerro Blanco, a “Quebrada" (dry valley) area a couple of kilometers south of the main Lobitos residential area. As we walked along the dusty road I had a sense of how present the oil industry was with oil pipes stretching nearly across the whole landscape, but as we followed the pipes further into Cerro Blanco I began to see the diverse range of species that inhabited the landscape. As we walked we stopped at different species of native trees to identify them in the wild and collect seeds we could germinate back at the EcoSwell house. We collected seeds from species such as Sapote, Palo Negro, Vichayo, Realengo, and Faique trees which we hopefully can then propagate through EcoSwell’s reforestation projects.
Sapote tree and fruit (seeds inside) – Colicodendron scabridum
Oil pipelines across the natural landscape and vegetation
However, within the native trees lie various invasive species such as the saltcedar (Tamarix sp.) that affects the salinity of the soil making it harder for other plants to grow. Also present was the Luffa or “jabonilla”, which is native but still invasive to other species in the dry forest. It spreads during the rains and distributes itself across the landscape like huge spiders webs covering the other plants in its path, an occurrence that is seemingly being made worse due to climate change.
Invasive species – Tamarix
Invasive species – Luffa or “jabonilla”
We continued down the track of the Quebrada valley that ends in a sort of a dry delta towards the beach, where we discovered a pretty good surf spot in the far left of the bay against a white cliff, hence the name “Cerro Blanco”. The cliff is white because of seabirds’ droppings (“guano”), who use this spot to gather between migratory trips. The beach was untouched apart from the presence of new development just behind the dunes. Fence posts and stacked blocks at the ready to build new hostels and other accommodation. These could be a potential threat to the natural structure of the beach and the surf if the buildings are erected without considering the impact on wind flows and sand deposits on the beach. This is something that has already happened in the main surf point in Lobitos and is a good reason to avoid making the same mistakes again. The Cerro Blanco "quebrada" undoubtedly plays a critical role in the natural sanding process of this particular beach and surf spot.
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Cerro Blanco beach, surf and sand dunes
Potential new development
We walked back into the dry Forest where we heard and saw the Cortarrama Peruano (Peruvian Plantcutter Phytotoma raimondii), a rare endemic and endangered bird that EcoSwell is trying to conserve by recovering its habitat, as well as the Collared Antshrike (Thamnophilus bernardi), the Coastal Miner (Geositta peruviana) and a variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma). We also saw also goat and Sechuran fox (Lycalopex sechurae) droppings, which act as natural propagation and germination of native seeds, very beneficial for the local ecosystem. But, we then saw piles of dumped solid waste and evidence of logging of the Algarrobo tree, one of the trees that the Cortarrama and the whole dry forest depend on for survival, for it is the dominant tree. Sadly, it is also the most sought by loggers (selective logging) to use or sell as fuelwood or turn into charcoal.
Informally dumped solid waste
Logging of algarrobo (Prosopis pallida), the dominant tree of the dry forest
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Peruvian Plantcutters, female (left) and male (right) (Photo taken by Anthony Rizzi)
From one trek I was amazed by all the different parts that make up Cerro Blanco; the different types of trees, the many animals that inhabit the landscape, and the untouched beach with a good surf spot. But also saddened by the threats that face this beautiful landscape, such as leaking oil wells, deforestation and possible unplanned development in the area. EcoSwell’s aim is to get Cerro Blanco formally declared as “district interest” for conservation by the local municipality, so that conservation management projects and policy can be introduced for its preservation in collaboration with local authorities, population, and private companies.
Written by Elliott Lang
All photos taken by Daria Fortin, Diego Almendrades (@diego-ecoswell) and Elliott Lang unless otherwise noted
@EcoSwell is a for-impact, sustainable development organization based in Lobitos, Peru. Since 2014, we have been working everyday to help coastal communities thrive in unison with nature. If you would like to learn more, please visit our Facebook, website, and follow us on SteemIt!
Hi ecoswell,
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Thank you so much @curie, so glad you liked it. We hope to share a lot more about what we do here at @ecoswell. Have a great day too :)
#ecolife
What a good cause for @ecoswell, I'm glad you're working to protect the native species of that beautiful hill.
Maybe an alternative is to make surf championships and make a tourist corridor so that the district heritage is sustainable, if not the oil companies will look for ways to continue appropriating more and more land.
I live in Venezuela an oil country par excellence and I have seen with my eyes sites with a high degree of pollution resulting from the exploitation that has existed for over 100 years, there are species that have changed to other ecosystems becoming invaders and others have disappeared is regrettable.
Thanks to your initiative is very likely to achieve something good with the work you are doing is ensuring that the space is maintained to preserve the nature of it.
great publication, thank you for sharing
greetings, peace and freedom
Thanks @arrozymangophoto Having a surf championship is a great idea, we will take it into consideration! Hope you have an awesome day!!
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#ecolife
Hey Elliot! You have great photographs there from your trek. Thank you for sharing them here. What a great way to learn and explore while having fun!
This is my first time to know about sapote. Is its fruit edible? Can the plant be domesticated?
Did Tamarix really caused the draught on the third photo? That's horrible.
That's interesting. I did not realize that bird wastes can cause such huge reaction.
It is sad to see those solid wastes in the middle of nowhere. Those even seem non-biodegrable. I wonder how they got in there.
Cerro Blanco seems an arid land. Is it because it's summer season there or is it because it is really a dry land? It even look like a desert to me...
Hi @macoolette,
We are glad you liked our post.
Yes, sapote is an edible fruit and it tastes delicious, you should come to Lobitos and try it :)
Tamarix is an invasive plant, this plant absorbs the salt from the air and as a result, it affects the soil! Cerro Blanco is an arid land, that is why we are working on so many projects in order to make those places look better.
Hope we hear back form you soon!
Or maybe you send me some sapotes so I can try from here, yeah? 😊
It is amusing how Tamarix can be so powerful to literally "destroy" the land like that.
What projects in particular? I wonder how that arid land can be made better... It must take a lot of efforts!
Hi @macoolette you can take a look at the different projects we are working on here:
http://ecoswell.org/projects.php
You can also take a look at our latest post! https://steemit.com/ecoswell/@ecoswell/follow-up-visit-to-quebrada-cerro-blanco-where-the-peruvian-dry-forest-meets-the-pacific-ocean
Hi @ecoswell! Thank you very much for sharing the link to your projects. I found out about your Aidn aeroponic which I featured on Steemhunt and got fairly good reception from the community. I have made your account a contributor to that post for 10% share of the payout. Aside from the 10% that will be automatically given to you and not go through me anymore, I may directly transfer part of the liquid payout directly to your wallet if the payout turns well . Let's see...
I'll get back to your other post....
That Dry forest is a really beautiful one, Elliot! It's just so sad that it is being threatened by a whole lot of things. I am glad that you guys are out there to protect it in the way that you can...
The beach looks so beautiful, I am sure that you are gonna explore your passion surfing in that place. It's a great place!
Cheers @audreybits! Yes, the contrast between sea and desert is so beautiful so see, it's such a shame these already challenged plants are being threatened and destroyed by logging, oil mining and disease. Our protected new dry forest will get a lot more love and attention so it can grow to it's highest potential and bring back the native Plantcutter Bird.
#ecolife
I love to see young people engaging themselves in good causes. I am glad to hear that you are volunteering at EcoSwell. I am sure that you will not only help but also gain a lot of experience and increase your knowledge like you hope to. It's also nice to hear that you're not only working but also enjoying yourself and that you found a great spot for surfing. I always admire people who can surf. I'm a bad swimmer so it's not for me but I enjoy watching.
I'm sad to hear that there might be some development in that area and that you found those oil pipes. And what a great idea to collect the seeds and support the reforestation in the area. I love to see such effort.
Thank you for sharing and I wish you all the best and good luck with your engagement in Peru!
Thank you so much @delishtreats, your support means a lot! It's such a naturally rich and beautiful area, @Ecoswell we just want to protect and grow as much as we can to help the plants, people and planet. The amazing surf is such a bonus, I'd definately recommend it, most volunteers here have never tried it and now they love it! Keep reading as we'll write more about our dry forest and other projects too!
#ecolife #surf #dryforest
Howdy from Texas ecoswell! This is such an interesting post and very educational. I'm glad that Ecoswell is trying to restore the habitat of the birds there but it's sad to see the vital trees being cut down.
Is ecoswell in other countries in South America or just Peru?
Hola! Thank you @janton. EcoSwell works only in Lobitos, Peru as there is alot to do over here. We have many ongoing projects as well as reforestation, including a wave protection project called 'Surafonomics' , working with the comunity with the 'Lobitos Verde' project, solarpanels, working with the fisherman and so much more. It would be amazing to expand EcoSwell in different areas around the globe, but for now we pour our heart and souls into Peru.
#ecolife #steemforest
howdy again ecoswell! well that's an amazing amount of projects going on and it seems like when other countries see what is being accomplished in Peru that they'd want the same for their country so I hope it spreads! Thanks so much for the additional information and I assume there will be posts about those projects?
Hi @janton, I hope you are doing great.
Yes, there will be more posts about the different things and projects we are doing.
You can take a look at our latest post! https://steemit.com/ecoswell/@ecoswell/follow-up-visit-to-quebrada-cerro-blanco-where-the-peruvian-dry-forest-meets-the-pacific-ocean
This was informative enough to make me curious about how the plant actually affects the salinity of the soil. This is the first I've encountered the term 'Dry Forest'. That looks like a harsh environment to live on and it's understandable that vegetation can be tough. Any tougher animals in the region?
Thank you @adamada! It's preety cool, they collect salt on to their leaves from special glands, when the leaf drops it makes the forest floor very salty thus making it harder for other plants to grow. This link gives a lot of information about the species:
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/tamspp/all.html
On our last trip two days ago we saw a fox and some parrots. Not very tough looking but certainly resistent in this dry habitat.
Look out for our next post coming soon, I managed to get pictures of them!
#ecolife #dryforest
Awesome, salt secreting glands, this is novel to me. Will check out that link in a while. I never knew parrots could live in those conditions. XD
Hi @adamada you can learn more by reading our latest post! https://steemit.com/ecoswell/@ecoswell/follow-up-visit-to-quebrada-cerro-blanco-where-the-peruvian-dry-forest-meets-the-pacific-ocean
Thank you for taking into your trip to Cerro Blanco, the area look very dry, but because of the crack on soil I assume there was water but may be now there is a period of dry season. I like the idea that still some organization is trying to investigation our ecological area and I hope with the work you do it will make a great impact on the government structures and will change something in the regulations to preserve the nature. I believe in such little and developing countries that must be a huge financial problem. Great job to let people know what is the ECO organizations do.
You're welcome @stef1. The area is very dry all around here which makes vegitation very tricky. The cracks in the soil is most likely due to 'El niño' a very rare storm that hit the coast line in 2017. At @ecoswell we do as much as we can to restore, rehabilitate and replant to help this harsh yet beatiful ecosystem. Yes, financially speaking it's tough and we always appreciate charitable donations but it's all worth it. Thank you for your support!
#ecolife
The southern us has an invasive species like you show here. It is called kudzu there and covers everything with dead looking vines just like these.
Such a delicate landscape deserves to be protected and I hope you are successful in your efforts.
Thank you @fitinfun, we'll do our best! Good luck with the Kudzu invasion over there and I hope they find a solution.
#ecolife
Me too! It is really taking over, kills everything, and looks awful.