The Trocano Araretama project area, as you would expect from being in the Amazonian rainforest, is rich in biodiversity and the project has an abundance of varied and endangered endemic biodiversity species.
Where the project area is located in the Madeira River region, there are some species that have a geographic distribution solely in this area. Tropical micro-regions such as the Trocano Araretama project area are extremely sensitive to the threat and effect of deforestation as these negative impacts may cause the loss of important flora and fauna that are known of and also potentially new species, some of which are yet to be discovered.
This is not only in terms of the mammal species found present in the area, such as the howler monkey, giant river otters and the river dolphin, but also the considerable reserve of food plants as well as those with medicinal qualities. Research suggests that around 70% of modern medicines are derived from rainforest plants, particularly in cancer treatments. During our project implementation we have discovered that the guarana, copaiba, crajiru and annatto are all present within the project area and all have been found to have some level of medicinal benefit.
This short introduction just barely touches on the importance of protecting the biodiversity within the Trocano Araretama project area and the benefits there are to ensuring it remains intact.