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A milestone for conservation in Peru

07/17/2020

Strategic Area: Wild Places -
Content Type: News
Country: Peru -

Thanks to you, Nature and Culture International reached a milestone for conservation in Peru!

For the first time, the Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service approved the resizing of a Permanent Production Forest (PPF) for the creation of a protected area in Ucayali. This groundbreaking decision paves the way for the establishment of a new regional conservation area in the Peruvian Amazon.

Nature and Culture International has been working for seven years to create CATA Regional Conservation Area in Ucayali, Peru. Despite support from local communities and authorities, Nature and Culture faced an immense barrier: 70% of the proposed area was under government control as a PPF. This meant forest within the area was open to timber concessions for logging.
Members of the CATA Community Vigilance Committee patrolling for loggers.
With your support, Nature and Culture conducted biological assessments and produced technical reports to catalyze the first-ever reduction of a PPF for the creation of a protected area in Peru. The Peruvian National Forest and Wildlife Service agreed to officially reduce the PPF by 259,460 acres last week!
“We had to demonstrate that the proposed area has greater potential for conservation than for wood extraction,” said Cristy Diaz, Technical Assistance from Nature and Culture Peru.
Located in the Peruvian Amazon, the proposed CATA Regional Conservation Area spans fragile and biodiverse ecosystems such as isolated mountain ranges. Its forests are home to a spectacular array of wildlife, including the bald uakari (Cacajao calvus), the scarlet macaw (Ara macao), and the shihuahuaco (Dipteryx micrantha), a tree standing 160 feet tall.
Additionally, the area is critical for the regulation, collection, and storage of water. Its forests deliver water to the Abujao, Yucanya, Inamapuya, and Pichaya basins, and provide water to more than 1,475 inhabitants of Ucayali.
The bald uakari (Cacajao calvus).
The proposed CATA Regional Conservation Area’s wildlife and resources are increasingly threatened by deforestation. Between 2001 and 2018, 609 acres of forest were lost in the proposed conservation area, and more than 61,776 acres were lost in Ucayali in 2018 alone. According to Diaz, loggers frequently used their permits from the PPF to justify wood extraction from nearby forest, resulting in illegal logging outside of the PPF.
The reduction of the PPF paves the way for the creation of CATA Regional Conservation Area, ensuring lasting conservation impact in Peru’s Amazon. Stay tuned for the official declaration!
Thank you for making this achievement possible. We hope that this bit of good news inspires you to continue fighting for nature and culture.
Learn more about the areas you support here.
This achievement was made possible with generous financial support from Andes Amazon Fund and Robert Wilson Charitable Trust.