Once I was made aware of this unique spot in the world, I decided to create a small documentary highlighting the beauty of this region. After much research and digging I found Geoff Gallice’s beautiful photos, and got permission to use them on this production. From the smallest insect, birds, mammals and gigantic trees, it was an amazing experience to relive and depict this imaginary journey. I often got cold chills when working with some of the images.
Tried to keep most of the images as they are, without color grading or retouching. They speak for themselves. The people captured in this video are from adjacent villages and towns, except for the Huaorani (towards the very end of the video) who are the indigenous population of this forest for many centuries. The foods and comestibles shown in the video vary from piranhas to grilled worms, a delicacy to the local people.
~
The difficulties to maintain and preserve this rainforest in the same way we found it is a daunting task. Constant invasion by loggers, oil exploration, poachers, drug traffickers and tourists are hurting its chances for survival. Many efforts are being made by the Ecuadorian goverment, world institutions and private trusts, to avoid further damage and preserve the pristine beauty of this forest. I hope this video encourages more people to get involved in its preservation.
Elements used in this production:
Music-Original Score: Selva by Luis Carlos Espinosa
See more about this composer @ jamendo.com/en/artist/Luis_Carlos_Espinosa
Photography: Geoff Gallice :: flickr.com/photos/dejeuxx/
Art & animation: Leo Bar
Background
Yasuni National Park is a national park in Ecuador that lies on 9,820 km2 between the Napo and Curaray rivers in Napo and Pastaza provinces in Amazonian Ecuador, around 250 km from Quito. The park was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1989. It is within the claimed ancestral territory of the Huaorani indigenous people.
The national park lies within the Napo moist forests ecoregion and is primarily a rain forest.
Yasuni National Park is one of the most biodiverse spot on Earth. The park is at the center of a small zone where amphibian, bird, mammal, and vascular plant diversity all reach their maximum levels within the Western Hemisphere. Moreover, the park breaks world records for local-scale (less than 100 km2) tree, amphibian, and bat species richness, and is one of the richest spots in the world for birds and mammals at local scales as well. However, Yasuni National Park is threatened by oil extraction and the colonization, deforestation, illegal logging, and unsustainable hunting that accompanies oil-access routes.
Pix In Motion by Leo Bar 