The Founding of Tapiche

Brazilian conservationist Murilo da Costa Reis (aka Katoo) founded conservation work in the Tapiche region of the northern Peruvian Amazon when he first arrived to Tapiche in 2010. He eliminated poaching and logging in the area, built an entire lodge complex by hand, launched ecotours to support habitat conservation, established the Tapiche Citizen Science Turtle Rescue Project, planted over 5,000 açaí seedlings for future sustainable fruit harvest, built a 30m canopy observation tower, supported locals in gaining financial security and tourism skills, was nominated to be the Apu of a neighboring village (he politely declined), tracked undocumented social and foraging habits of the red uakari monkey, provided safe haven for tens of thousands of nesting Agami Herons, and facilitated the filming of the BBC’s blue chip documentary A Perfect Planet.

He toiled tirelessly until 2022, when he tragically suffered a sudden and fatal medical emergency. At the end of 2022, Project Amazonas, a respected non-profit working in conservation and medical aid in the Iquitos area for over three decades, courageously accepted stewardship of Tapiche. Today’s Tapiche is the physical legacy of Murilo’s dream, passion, dedication, ingenuity and grit, supported and perpetuated by the love and support of a global community.

Click to visit Murilo’s online memorial page

Murilo was not only the founder, director and head guide of the Tapiche Reserve, he was also the boat captain, the mechanic, the driver, the carpenter, the birder, the landscaper, the animal behaviorist, the electrician, the farmer and gardener, the cook, the plumber, the fisherman, the boat builder, the turtle rescuer, the trailblazer, the strategist, the negotiator, the advocate, the pacifist, the visionary, the teacher, partner, brother, son, uncle, father, grandfather, and very dear friend.

Querido Murilo, one of your greatest fears while you inhabited your physical body was that you would be forgotten, that people would not know your work and the honorable cause to which you devoted your literal life energy, flesh, blood, tears and bones.

Though your body is no longer with us, every glint of a bird’s eye reflects your spirit, and every ruffle of tree leaves in the wind carries your presence back to us. You taught us to feel the earth through the heart, to see beauty in every feather, every strand of fur, every patch of bark, and to respect nature with an intensity and profundity that we did not know was humanly possible until we witnessed your example.

Murilo, there are few people in the world who have the combination of skill, expertise, disposition and commitment to accomplish what you did, and even fewer willing to give their lives to it as you did.

We thank you, Murilo, with all our love and respect. You are not forgotten.

You can visit Murilo’s online memorial page and share a story or memory here.

Constructing set pieces for the BBC's filming of A Perfect Planet in 2019

Releasing rescued baby turtles right in front of the Tapiche lodge so that future nesting mothers return to this safe haven

Teaching local staff to use power tools

Exploring the Agami nesting area

Early morning departure from Iquitos to Tapiche

Testing the most efficient wood-burning stove for emergency use at the lodge

Fixing one of our fiberglass boats

Grinding Tapiche-grown corn for homemade tortillas and tamales

Drone view of the Tapiche fleet

Chef Murilo

Rescuing charapa (Podocnemis expansa) turtle eggs

Servicing one of the boat engines

During the last nesting season before Murilo passed, Tapiche turtle rescue hit a record 11,042 eggs collected and incubated.

Project Amazonas now maintains a crucial physical presence in an area too remote for local government and law enforcement agencies to patrol. Thanks to Project Amazonas, future generations will have the chance to wake up to howler monkeys at dawn, marvel at various species of macaws soaring freely over pink dolphins in the river, and experience the enchanting majesty of Murilo’s beloved Tapiche jungle.

Visit Tapiche in person or donate (or both!) to keep this dream of conservation alive for many generations to come. Murilo would have loved nothing more than to see an outpouring of support for the continuation of his conservation work at Tapiche.

Funds sent through the Donate button on this page will go straight to Project Amazonas via Paypal, and receipts for tax purposes are available by request. Paypal does charge account holders to receive funds, so if you're able, one of the fee-free methods would be much appreciated:

By check made out to "Project Amazonas" and sent to: Project Amazonas, 701 E Commercial Blvd, Suite 200, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334, USA, earmark “for Tapiche”
By ACH transfer, or by making a planned donation from a tax-deferred account (IRA, 401(K), 403(B) or other tax-differed account - contact devon@projectamazonas.org for details)
By using Zelle TapicheJungle@ProjectAmazonas.org (Zelle has no fees for the sender or receiver) You’ll see Project Amazonas enrolled as Margarita Tours, Inc. - that is correct.

Please clearly indicate that you want the funds to be applied towards Tapiche regardless of your sending method so that Project Amazonas allocates the funds accordingly. They do operate other lodges and projects in the Iquitos area. If you wish to have US tax donation documentation, please include your full name and address with whatever donation method you choose.

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History

The Founding of Tapiche