PetroTal supports innovative environmental education program

A group of 30 children between seven and ten years old, from the town of Bretaña, capital of the district of Puinahua, participated in the innovative environmental education program: “Taricaya Exploradora, learning through adventure”, in which they discovered the importance of the preservation and sustainable management of this species of turtle of the Peruvian Amazon.

Members of the Organización Social de Pescadores y Procesadores Artesanales (OSSPA) Bretaña taught the children sustainable practices in the harvesting of taricayas, release of hatchlings and preservation of their natural habitat, in this case, the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. All of this knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation among the Puinahua population.

The program, which took place between August and November, had the logistical support of PetroTal, operator of Block 95; the technical assistance of the Asociación Civil Despensa Amazónica, and the support of the Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado (Sernanp) and Tambo Bretaña.

As part of the program, the children contributed to the elaboration of a participatory environmental diagnosis together with OSSPA, which brings together 10 taricaya egg management groups. They also participated in dynamic workshops, in the “sowing” of the eggs - for which an artificial beach was built in Tambo Bretaña - and in the release of the “charitos”, according to those responsible for the initiative.

In this way, in addition to fostering integration in Brittany, the transfer of traditional knowledge from the fishermen to the children of the district was promoted so that, from an early age, they can value and protect the resources that surround them, especially the fragile taricayas, and preserve the culture and identity of their community.