A troop of squirrel monkeys has spread through the bamboo forest; They will spend their morning eating the tender shoots of bamboo. Light and surefooted, these little monkeys are excellent jumpers.

A king vulture sits atop a tree. He surveys the jungle from his perch. There is food in the vicinity, a carcass. The other carrion feeders move over for him.

The night monkeys have settled down to rest among the branches of a tree; They sleep during the day; In the night they will use their extraordinary vision to find food.

he desperate cry of a spider monkey shatters the silence of the forest; she has woken up to find that her family has already left the tree. This young one must find them before nightfall if she is to survive…

Three days in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest rivaled every nature and wildlife documentary I watched growing up and am still very much a sucker for. In this time of rapid biodiversity loss, ecological and environmental crisis, it felt like a privilege to visit one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. To see trees that have stood through many human epochs, to witness the sheer diversity of plants, mammals, birds, butterflies, to be in the habitat of majestic jaguars and anacondas felt surreal. If there is a place to reflect on the true magnificence of nature, the Amazon is one of them. If there is a place to mourn species loss, the destruction of forests for logging, mining, and oil extraction, the displacement of indigenous communities from their homelands, it is the Amazon, or what remains of it. It is also a place that evokes hope when it feels like we are heading toward an environmental apocalypse. In the reserves and protected areas, such as the one I visited, you can see the impact of conservation efforts. These reserves are stark reminders of what has already been lost in many parts of Amazon and other rainforests, but also what big and small efforts to prioritize the habitats of non-human species, to protect their equal right to this world can do.