Connecting Two Oceans For decades, some people in South America had dreamed of a road that would cut across the continent. T is road would connect the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. T at dream came true in 2011. T e Interoceanic Highway cuts


through grassy plains, dense rain forests, and towering mountains. T e highway gives people an easy way to travel across the continent. In some ways, that’s a good thing. In other ways, it’s a big problem. T is highway slices through some


of the most biodiverse rain forests in Peru. T e road gives loggers, ranchers, farmers, and miners easy access to the forest. Salazar worried that the forest and its creatures were at risk. So, she started taking pictures.


Looking to Protect Salazar discovered that many people who wanted to develop the land didn’t really know what lived there. T ey didn’t know what was at risk. Her photos showed sleek


jaguars, brilliant macaws, and hairy tarantulas. Her photos helped convince people that this area needed to be protected.


22 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


Moving Ahead Salazar worked with a local group of conservationists to help create a series of conservation corridors. T ese are long stretches of rain forest on either side of the highway that are protected from development. T is is a good compromise. Now


the road can still be used, but plants and animals will be protected, too.


Coming Next Salazar is pointing her camera at a new subject now. She’s on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. She is taking photos of species living there that are in danger of becoming extinct, or disappearing forever. As in the past, she’s hoping that


her photos will call attention to the island’s endangered species. She wants to help save this part of the world and all that’s in it.


Wordwise


biodiversity: the many different kinds of plants and animals on Earth or in a habitat or ecosystem


conservation: protection of animals and plants and careful use of natural resources


conservation corridor: an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures


extinct: no longer existing in living form


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