Darwin Chalá – Butterfly Center Assistant
“If it wasn’t for this project, there would be no forest”
Darwin has worked at Mashpi for five years, in charge of the maintenance of the garden in the Life Centre where the butterfly house is located. This has allowed him to learn about the behaviour and life cycle of butterflies and he has even been able to replace his companions in caring for them when they have gone on holidays.
What do you think about Mashpi Lodge?
It is a perfect project because it is a home for animals, birds, insects and plants that can be used in natural medicine. Those of us who know a bit about that know that we can find remedies for pain on the mountain, cures for infections and lots of other ailments. There’s one called tres dedos (three fingers) that you can use to lower blood sugar.
What do you like most about the Reserve?
The animals that live here are really impressive and sometimes we catch a glimpse: monkeys, armadillos, ocelots, toucans. You have to be lucky to see them.
If it wasn’t for this project, there would be no forest. And we wouldn’t have water as the river would have dried up, we wouldn’t have animals or a source of employment. We would have felled the entire forest, sold the trunks to the loggers and spent the money.
