The first Regional Conservation Area in Huánuco, Peru

Thanks to you, Nature and Culture is starting 2020 with a big success!

Your support created the first Regional Conservation Area in Huánuco, Peru. Carpish Mountain Forest Regional Conservation Area will protect 125,000 acres of Peruvian yungas and puna grasslands within one of the most biodiverse places on the planet – the central Andes.

Carpish spans over 125,000 acres of Peruvian yungas and puna grasslands.

The central Andes contains unmatched levels of endemism, or species found nowhere else on Earth. Wildlife recorded in Carpish include the endemic collared inca (Coeligena torquata), the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), and the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda), categorized as endangered in Peru. The conservation area is also home to 78 endemic plant species – while Yellowstone National Park (though 17X larger) is home to three.

More than 20 surrounding communities rely on the conservation area’s non-timber resources. These resources include freshwater basins and plants with medicinal value. Protecting the area will safeguard water supplies from mining and other threats as well as prevent droughts and floods, both of which are becoming more common with climate change.

Clean water sources in Carpish are vital to sustain the livelihoods of local people.

Carpish has great potential to boost local economies through tourism, in particular through hiking and birdwatching. An increase in tourism will benefit local communities by creating jobs, encouraging sustainable development, and providing additional economic opportunities.

Local leaders played a critical role in the declaration process, having witnessed deforestation and expanding agriculture increasingly threaten their forests.

“We have to care for our Carpish forest, a place known internationally for its natural richness, its beauty and birds,” said Elmer Manzanedo Espinoza, community member from San Pedro de Carpish and President of the Advocacy Committee for the creation of Carpish. “We must now demand respect and protect it from those who cause harm. I will always defend our Carpish forest.”

Community members (Huanuqueños) led the effort to protect their home. 

Carpish Mountain Forest Regional Conservation Area is a result of collaboration between the Regional Government of Huánuco, local leaders and communities, Nature and Culture International, and the Peruvian Protected Area Service (SERNANP). The area was created with the financial support of the Andes Amazon Fund, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Robert Wilson Charitable Trust, and generous people like you.

With your help, our team in Peru will continue to work with the surrounding communities and regional government, developing and implementing the area’s Management Plan to ensure an effective and lasting conservation impact.

Thank you for making this achievement possible! We hope that this bit of good news inspires you to continue fighting for nature and culture.

Check out a map of the area here. You can also learn more about our work in the Andes.