Securing the Cornerstone of Andes-Amazon Conservation Corridor
Support More Work Like ThisSupport More Work Like ThisRainforest Trust and our local partner are securing the missing piece in a protection corridor from the Amazon to the Peruvian Andes.
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Species at Risk
4 species
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Carbon stored
36,000,000 mT*
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Pronaturaleza
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136,698 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
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Project Cost: $303,600
136,698
Rainforest Trust and our local partner are securing the missing piece in a protection corridor from the Amazon to the Peruvian Andes.
-
Species at Risk
4 species
-
Carbon stored
36,000,000 mT*
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Pronaturaleza
-
136,698 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
-
Project Cost: £222,036
136,698
Secure the missing link in a conservation network
Stretching from Argentina to Colombia, the Tropical Andes, is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world—but less than 25 percent remains intact. Illegal gold mining is rampant in the region and rapidly increasing, fragmenting the landscape that many endemic species rely on.
In Peru’s southern Andes region, there is a major six-million-acre network of protected areas that safeguard critical remnants of this region, spanning from the high Andes to the lowland Amazon along the border of Brazil.
However, there is one key unprotected piece that consolidates the protected areas and strengthens the entire network, ensuring a full corridor of protection from the Amazon to the Andes of Peru.
To secure this missing piece, Rainforest Trust and our local partner Pronaturaleza are working to designate 136,698 acres as a Regional Conservation Area.
Did you know?
of the Tropical Andes remains intact.
Explore the Andes
A recently discovered new species of Andean Lizard (Proctoporus machupicchu). Photo courtesy of PRONATURALEZA.
Andean Mountain Cat (EN), photo copyrighted free use from Wikimedia Commons
Local indigenous community members. Photo courtesy of PRONATURALEZA.
Gold mining waste pits. Photo courtesy of PRONATURALEZA.
Expand protection for endemic species
The region has already been identified as a Key Biodiversity Area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the establishment of the Regional Conservation Area will contribute to the protection of 50 endemic species.
A diverse range of habitats—humid grasslands, cloud and highland forests—at varying elevations allow for many species to thrive.
The Andean Cat (EN) will benefit from this protection. Although local traditions consider the species sacred, less than 3,000 Andean Cat individuals remain in the wild due to poaching.
The endemic Trueb’s Cochran Frog (CR) can be found here as can the Cusco Andes Frog (EN) and Geoffroy’s Woolly Monkey (EN).
Protect the cultural richness of the Tropical Andes region
Several indigenous communities live in areas that directly surround the proposed protected area. For years, they have successfully and sustainably managed their cultural land, but now their livelihoods are highly threatened by accelerating gold mining.
Pronaturaleza is working with regional governments and local communities to provide capacity-building and ensure they are able to safeguard their land from growing threats.
