72,000 Acres of Dry Forest Protected
In Piura, Peru, one of our major accomplishments has been the creation of the Salitral-Huarmaca Regional Conservation Area, which legally protects 72,000 acres of tropical deciduous or dry forest – one of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems.
Along with our local partners, we played an instrumental role in creating this area, formally recognized by the Peruvian Natural Protected Area Service (SERNANP) in 2011 after two years of on-the-ground work by our local staff and the regional government of Piura. This vast new conservation area shelters critical habitat for the endangered White-winged Guan, whose population has dwindled to less than 350 as a result of habitat fragmentation and hunting. Numerous other species will benefit from the protection of the remarkable region.
Welcoming the decision by SERNANP to protect the area, an official release by the government of Piura read:
“Establishing this Regional Conservation Area will contribute not only to the protection of biological diversity but will also serve as a means for promoting the development of local populations. It will establish a close link between conservation and the fight against poverty.”
We worked with local communities in the region to ensure that their objectives were represented in the final request to the Peruvian government. The new protected area establishes rules to regulate and guarantee the sustainable use of natural resources. “This success once again shows that our hard work on behalf of communities and ecosystems alike makes a difference,” said Alexander More, director for our Northwest Peru office, who was integral to the creation of the Regional Conservation Area.
