Save 450,000 Acres of High-carbon Amazon Rainforest from Deforestation in Peru
Support More Work Like ThisSupport More Work Like ThisThe rich carbon stores and abundant wildlife of Peru’s Putumayo region will continue to decline if illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, deforestation and other exploitation are allowed to continue.
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Species at Risk
Giant Otter (EN), Amazon River Dolphin (EN), Yellow-footed Tortoise (VU)
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Carbon stored
126,016,383 mT*
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Frankfurt Zoological Society Peru
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491,103 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
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Project Cost: $296,984
491,103
The rich carbon stores and abundant wildlife of Peru’s Putumayo region will continue to decline if illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, deforestation and other exploitation are allowed to continue.
-
Species at Risk
Giant Otter (EN), Amazon River Dolphin (EN), Yellow-footed Tortoise (VU)
-
Carbon stored
126,016,383 mT*
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Frankfurt Zoological Society Peru
-
491,103 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
-
Project Cost: £235,701
491,103
AN INCREASE IN ACRES PROTECTED
Working with our partner, Frankfurt Zoological Society Peru, 491,103 acres have been protected. This is 41,103 acres more than the expected 450,000 acres initially proposed.
Its remote location and proximity to a large, navigable river make Peru’s Putumayo River region especially vulnerable to criminal enterprises engaging in illegal land trafficking, illegal gold mining and illicit coca cultivation. These unchecked threats also drive poaching, illegal wildlife trade and deforestation. Without urgent action, this home to threatened species like the Giant Otter, Amazon River Dolphin and Yellow-footed Tortoise could soon be destroyed.
Blanketing over 60% of Peru’s landscape, the Peruvian Amazon covers an area three times the size of Kansas. Within this vast rainforest, where the Putumayo River defines the curving border between Colombia and Peru, is a stunning 6.7 million acre region known as the Bajo Putumayo-Yaguas-Cotuhé, named for the rivers traversing through it.
Header photo: The Giant Otter, by Slowmotiongli
Discover the Peruvian Amazon
South American or Lowland Tapir, by PhotocechCZ
The Giant Otter, by stockfoto
The Amazon River Dolphin, by Coulanges
Amazon River Dolphin, by Coulanges
Yellow-footed Tortoise, by Geoff Gallice
Freshwater fish from the Putumayo river, by Guillermo Abadie
Help Communities Steward Highly Biodiverse Areas
Rainforest Trust and partner Frankfurt Zoological Society Peru are working to legally secure these acres as a Conservation Concession, which will prohibit deforestation and unauthorized resource extraction.
Effective stewardship will protect Cotuhé’s Endangered Giant Otter and Amazon River Dolphin, Vulnerable Yellow-footed Tortoise and numerous other threatened species. It will also safeguard Peru’s unique 450 species of freshwater fish as well as birds and mammals that support food sovereignty for Indigenous and local communities near the proposed concession.
Conserve A Carbon-rich Wildlife Corridor
The new conservation area in Cotuhé protects the entire Cotuhé watershed and connects to a biological corridor of more than 3.5 million acres of vital habitat. It sits directly adjacent to the 2.1-million-acre Yaguas National Park and connects with the 725,120-acre Amacayacu National Park across the border in Colombia.
Other flagship species within the Cotuhé area include the Vulnerable Harpy Eagle, Amazonian Manatee, Giant Armadillo and Lowland Tapir. The new management plan enables ongoing monitoring of these and other important species.
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Conservation work is critical, challenging, and can be costly. We work hard to ensure we raise only the funds needed for each project. In the rare case we raise more money than needed or a project comes in under budget, excess monies will be transferred to the Conservation Action Fund. This fund supports our important conservation work throughout the tropics.
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Partnering to Save Rainforest
Our partners’ ability to work with their governments and build strong connections with local communities ensures the successful implementation of our projects.
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