Ecological site conditions nad landuse options in Amazonian Peru

摘要

The use of natural resources in Amazonia often suffers from inadquate scientific understnaidng of local ecology and inappropriate management practices. For example, the assumed homogeneity of the vast Amazonian lowlands has lead to not only ecological but also economicla problems. Recent scientific observations emphasise regional and local ecological differences within Amazonia, and these findings need to be taken into accoutn in future landuse planning: colonisation activities that are planned without basic knowledge of the local conditions are likely to be destructive for both the environmetn and the local economy. We present here findings of an itnernational research project that has aimed to distinguish edaphically distinctive land units near the city of Iquitos, Peru, and thus to contribute to the process of directing appropriate land uses for each site of this region. The authors of this paper also believe that by developing adequate agricultural techniques it will be possible to use the same land areas more permanently than has been customary until now. The article also describes a map production mehtod that intends to express at the same time both interpreted information and uncertainties of the map makers.