We heard the chain saws first: a buzz from a bee on amphetamines, interspersed by the crash of falling giants, then the toiling drone of the bulldozers. We were approaching the advancing edge of the Shintuya-Boca Manu-Colorado road. Our Matsigenka guide, Feliciano, from Pankotsi Lodge in the nearby village of Shipetiari, weaved us expertly through the forest. We then emerged suddenly onto the road clearing, precisely at the spot where a Caterpillar was digging up the roots of

I am 44 years old. I have two fantastic children and a great partner. I was born in a time of relative global peace, on a beautiful planet rich in resources. Since my early childhood, I have had the chance to enjoy nature in Peru with my parents and then with friends. I have been very fortunate and consider myself very wealthy as a result, though my accountant would beg to differ... I do not agree with conventional measures of wellbeing. I have friends in the Amazon who earn

In June I attended the Global Landscapes Forum: The Investment Case meeting in London. Many good ideas were shared, networks strengthened and many new contacts for our company Nature Services Peru made. But overall, the meeting left me worried. Worried about the growing disconnect between financiers and the 100 million+ land use projects they are looking to finance, and the reality of making a sustainable return from natural landscapes. I am not questioning the need for f