The exuberance of life in the upper Amazon, on Colombia's triple border with Peru and Brazil, has many challenges. It exudes an apparent harmony, although there are tensions hidden behind the tranquility. The pink dolphin of the Amazon can be found here, among the meanders of the river’s abundant tributaries that flow rich with organic life, surrounded by the exceptional biodiversity that flourishes where the waters overflow. Since ancient times, this aquatic mammal has occupied a sacred place in indigenous spirituality, as it does in many corners of the vast Amazon basin.
Lilia Isolina Java Tapayuri, community leader of the Cocama ethnic group, in the Tikuna-Cocama-Yagua Reserve, regards the pink dolphin as sacred. They play a key role in her life and career, as Lilia is now responsible for the conservation of the river fauna of this corner of the Amazon rainforest.
Lilia was born 35 years ago in the community of San Francisco, a few miles northwest of Puerto Nariño, on the Loretoyacu River, a tributary of the Amazon. Since she was a child she has been attracted to the river's fauna, and this has shaped both her spirituality and her livelihood.
