Magical film figures lure youth to explore Peruvian wetland

“I thought it made sense to focus on children, to stir their enthusiasm for the environment,” said Jeancarlo Pacheco, a Peruvian agronomist who led the recovery effort.

The wetland covering 5.5 hectares (14 acres) sits a short drive from Cuzco, the historic capital of the Inca empire high in the Andes mountains.

For decades, locals used the wetland to dispose of animal carcasses, construction waste and any kind of trash, including non-biodegradable plastic.

A group of environmentalists recently set out to reclaim it. They won $1.3 million in backing from Peru’s government and the Development Bank of Latin America. That covered the cleanup and construction of walkways, channels and an island surrounded by small lagoons that capture water streaming down the mountains.

Next came the statues — five of them. Some of the tree-like figures tower 5 metres (16 feet) tall, with branch-like hands dramatically reaching out. A less menacing Groot, a pop culture icon from the Marvel movie, wears an inviting smile.

It opened on May 1, and the next day got a surprise boost from afar when “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn tweeted photographs of the statues.

Roughly a thousand people now visit each week, mostly locals under age 30, officials say.

Jose Luis Venero, a Peruvian biologist and wetlands expert, said snapping selfies with the statues is fine, but he really wants visitors to walk away having learned the vital role wetlands play as habitat for birds and bees as well as cleaning water and preventing floods.

Some 58 bird species build their nests at this wetland, including the yellow-crowned night heron, one of many that migrate from the southeastern United States. These herons have been spotted four times recently at the rejuvenated wetland.

“Wetlands are the airports of migratory birds, where no one shows a passport upon landing,” Venero said. “If we don’t care for these wetlands, many of these migratory birds could go extinct.”

Franklin Briceno, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Magical film figures lure youth to explore Peruvian wetland

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