The big environmental news coming out of Peru this past week was that a huge waterfall previously unknown to the greater world was “discovered” in the country’s Amazon Rainforest region. The word “discovered” is in quotes because a community that lives near to the waterfall had known about its existence according to Andina News, but had chosen to keep their knowledge a secret to help protect the area from damage. Obed Cabanillas Silva, the explorer who “found” it, thinks that it might be taller than Peru’s Gocta waterfall (pictured to the left).
The Gocta Fall is third tallest waterfall in the world, although its status is disputed. It is 771 meters high (~ 2529 feet). If its measurements are accurate, only Venezuela’s Angel Falls and South Africa’s Tugela Falls are taller. It was also “discovered” in 2005, although local communities knew about its existence as well. According to Peru’s El Commercio newspaper (via Wikipedia), “local people feared the curse of a beautiful blond mermaid who lived in its waters if they revealed its whereabouts.”
Only several days after the news of the this new waterfall’s discovery was announced, an expedition has departed to see and document the waterfall. The group includes a topographer, photographer, and representatives from local communities. While this expedition’s hasty departure is not surprising, the “discovery” of the spectacular waterfall leaves me with two conflicting feelings.
The first feeling is one of excitement and inspiration. It’s fascinating to know that there are still discoveries to be made in the world. Just this week we had the announcement that a gorilla sanctuary had been found in Africa’s Congo. It is believed to be home to approximately 125,000 gorillas. Earlier this year, we also saw the first photos of an “uncontacted” tribe in Peru and Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest regions.
The second feeling I have is one that is worrisome. What if the local communities were correct? Will the area where the waterfall is located now be damaged with an influx of tourism? And even though the discovery of the gorillas in the Congo is great, what if it now leads more people to go there and kill them, study them, and so forth, leaving them at greater peril than before their presence was known? Just this week, news also came out that across the world, almost 50% of all primate species are critically endangered.
And what about the photos of the “uncontacted” tribe in the Amazon? Even though they provided a thrill, will some well-meaning, yet foolish anthropologist now try to contact them as part of his or her PhD Dissertation? And will the photographs serve the purpose of stopping the illegal logging that supposedly threatens the tribe’s survival?
In any case, now that the cogs on the machine are moving, I will be interested to hear how tall this “new” waterfall is in Peru, and whether or not it is one of the tallest in the world.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license
It’s crazy that there’s anything left to be discovered in the world today.
Great post; I’ve always wanted to go to Peru…
Thanks for the news! As you mention, I am not sure if I will call that “discovering” since the local communities always knew about it. I am also concern about the disrespect of the believes and values of the local communities that decide not to inform about that to the “world”. Hopefully, everything turns well and if a tourism industry get developed around it. It will not cause negative impacts to the communities.
Ye gods, what a picture.
I tell ya, I completely relate to the mixed feelings you describe. But as I wrote about the gorilla census, it makes sense (for me at least) to take good news where I can find it — all the news about the global and pervasive impact humans are wreaking makes me feel claustrophobic, and something like this feels like a draught of fresh air, makes the world seem a little roomier.
And the “discoveries” you list could all suffer from attention from the developed world, but there’s also opportunity to turn this into something very positive. We’ve found another very special place, and if we act swiftly to protect it the world is a richer place.
That is truly a beautiful place!
JT
http://www.FireMe.To/udi
Seems everyone is worried about “damage” from tourists. Perhaps they should get the delegation from Ecuador to help them have the best of both worlds?
And some say we’re wiping out forests, glaciars and entire animal species? And then they find the tallest waterfalls, hundreds of thousands of unkown animals and gorillas? The arrogant man… The world is so much bigger than any of us could imagine! Don’t let such arrogance dictate international policy.
Quite frankly, they (the natives) have a point. There are things better left undiscovered. Humans are known to be a destroy rather than a protector! Give me 5 years or less those gorillas decline and as for the falls, I bet soon it will lose its prestine condition! Regardless if its a first world country or not! Our greed kicks-in all the time! Though not many are greedy but one of them is enough to make the destruction
“and if a tourism industry get developed around it. It will not cause negative impacts to the communities.”
uhhh.. yeah, im sure McDonald’s had the same thought.
—thank you for the post.. Wow talk about a dream job from a fellow topographer.(surveyor)
People in the local area have been offering tours to this “undiscovered” waterfall for years (a drive and a hike from from Cajamarca), I believe it’s in a backpacker guide too – I hiked up there with a guide and a couple of friends a couple of years ago, almost got into a fight with a local who didn’t like the tourists coming to his town to visit his waterfall, but otherwise it’s a beautiful sight nestled in a beautiful forest. If you’re ever in the area check out Kuelap, IMHO it’s the gem of the region, think Macchu Picchu but it was only found a few years ago and they’re still clearing the trees and digging out buildings.
Yeah those native sure are right!
Doesn’t explorer Obed Silva realize that he has put us all at risk from the “curse of the blond mermaid” at the bottom of the falls? We are all doomed! Head for the hills!
Oh why couldn’t he have shown more “respect for their culture”
How ’bout them thar GPS coordinates?
Ok, found it:
http://maps.google.com/maps?&q=-6.020556,-77.885556&spn=0.1,0.1&output=kml
Coordinates: 6°01′14″S, 77°53′08″W
As the isometric view becomes more popular in geographic visualization and covers more territory (as in the bird’s eye view in Microsoft Live Maps), probably more interesting landmarks will be discovered.
“Discovery” with regard to natural resources such as this is synonymous with “destruction”…
There are places better left untouched and unseen…
We learned that the hard way in the Philippines…
Since this waterfall in Peru has been “discovered”,
Let the “bureaucratic wrangling and inertia” begin…
and praying and hoping that enlightened Peruvians prevail…
Does anyone know if Black Swifts nest here ?
Hi I agree with the author’s second feeling and truly hope this water fall will not be damaged by high numbers of tourists. I Hope local authorities will put measures in place to protect such a great area of our world.
http://global-warming-shirts.com
Places like this waterfall should be photographed and videod by someone like National Georgraphic and then left alone. No tourists or anyone else. We’ve polluted enough things already. If you want to see it, watch the video clip!
There some amazing waterfalls to be seen in Thailand, but none quite as tall as this….
The ones here in Thailand are however, easy to get to!
FYI: That is not a picture of the Waterfall in question. As the article pointed out that is the Gocta Waterfall not the “Newly Discovered” and yet-to-be-named waterfall.
Why do articles like this mislead people? Why are there no actual pix of this “new” waterfall? What do the locals call the their waterfall? It’s another case of hasty journalism like this that gives journalism in general a bad name.
Gocta is a monster to be certain, but it’s not even the tallest on the plateau from which it originates. Several miles north, there is a waterfall called Catarata Yumbilla which has been surveyed at 896.4 meters, or 2938′. It’s a lower volume of water than Gocta, but its height certainly makes it worthy of consideration. About halfway between Yumbilla and Gocta is a waterfall called Catarata la Chinata. It’s 580 meters, or 1903′ in height and consists of a single drop that carries a substantial volume of water.
In the nearly 10 years I’ve co-administered the World Waterfall Database, Peru has consistently surprised me with the relatively large number of unknown or “undiscovered” waterfalls. Indeed, Peru has at least 4 waterfalls of 1903′ or better, and there are likely 10-15 other unknown or undiscovered falls of similar height.
Yeah and there are still gold rushes..
look up brazil gold rush
the world is really really big.
honestly just sounds like hype to me. i mean there are lots of things that aren’t widely documented. everyone can’t know everything.
Gorgeous, missed that one during our visit. There’s so much to see there.
Sheri
Seeing all the fear-mongering by the environmentalists/conservationists, I get the impression that for them the ideal life of primitive, poverty-ridden survival in that state for another million years is preferable to the creature-comforts of technology. Like having indoor toilets, hot water on demand, gas heated stoves and homes, reading lamps by the sofa, libraries, hospitals, medicine, etc…
Some fight change, some fight for change. You choose.
Great post luv it
Gocta is NOT the third tallest in the world. Utigordsfossen and Mongefossen, both of which are located in Norway, the the third and fourth tallest respectively.