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Bi-lingual educational giant otter book launches

Ms Jessica Groenendijk, a long-standing associate of WildCRU, has launched a bi-lingual illustrated booklet. She says, “We received funding last year from the Iris Darnton Foundation, through WildCRU, for the creation of an illustrated bilingual conservation education booklet, in Matsigenka and Spanish, for the Matsigenka communities in and around Manu. It is aimed at children but we hope it will appeal to all ages. The main protagonists are a Matsigenka boy acting as the voice of his community and a giant otter as flagship species of the aquatic environment in particular, and of Manu National Park as a whole. The story explores the worlds and perspectives of each, blending Matsigenka folklore with natural history, as well as key conservation issues, in a non-judgmental language and in an entertaining, highly visual way. Our aim is to help promote the conservation of the giant otter, a charismatic endangered species that is one of Manu National Park’s main tourist attractions, as well as enhance dialogue between the Matsigenka communities and Manu National Park authorities.”

The booklet is co-authored by Gregorio Perez (a Matsigenka community leader) and Glenn Shepard (an anthropologist and expert on Matsigenka culture) and illustrated by a Cusco artist, Miguel Angel Achahuanco. About 2000 copies of the booklet have been printed and will be distributed among Matsigenka schools and families in the Manu region early 2015.

The text is available for download here.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

Interested parties can find out more by contacting Jessica Groenendijk via e-mail.