The Iquitos, Peru-based Aqua Expeditions is enhancing its efforts to work with the local communities of the Peruvian Amazon where its luxury river cruise vessel, the Aqua, sails.
The company has hired Juan Diaz Alvan for the newly created position of community outreach manager, tasked with identifying the needs of the local communities in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
"One of our company's key goals is to have a positive social impact on the some 14 Amazon communities that are touched by the Aqua," Francesco Galli-Zugaro, founder and CEO of Aqua Expeditions, said in a release. "We want that impact to include environmental conservation and protection of natural resources. That means we need to find environmentally friendly ways for these people to earn their livings."
Diaz Alvan, a biologist who specializes in working with communities in protected areas as well as in the study of Amazonian birds, will consult with local communities on the manufacturing of handicrafts; the importance of conserving key natural resources to support tourism; and the implementation of community first aid centers.
He has also been charged with aiding the river communities to implement environmentally-friendly initiatives such as using garbage cans, especially for plastic items that might otherwise land in the river, and the collection of used batteries, which can contaminate the water.
The luxury, 12-suite Aqua was built in 2007 and departs weekly on river cruises in the Peruvian Amazon.