PERU

Alto Mayo Tarapoto

The Alto Mayo Protected Forest, located in northern Peru, is one of the priority protected areas at the national level. The area is known for its high biodiversity and is home to the largest number of native bird species in Peru. This makes Alto Mayo a paradise for birdwatching. It is also a great place to experience community tourism and learn about the various alternative tourist routes managed by the rural communities.

Bahuaja Sonene National Park

Bahuaja Sonene National Park is part of the Department of Madre de Dios, located in the south-eastern area of Peru and considered the “Biodiversity Capital of Peru” for its immense natural wealth and records of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and endemic species. Home to 10 indigenous communities, it is possible to find 13 life zones out of the 117 worldwide, 06 Natural Protected Areas (NPA). Primely due to illegal and informal mining several threats have been identified, such as deforestation, pollution, extinction of wild flora and fauna, and loss of cultural identity of indigenous peoples. Want to know how Bahuaja Sonene National Park is fighting against illegal activities? Read the full Good Practice Story!

Manu National Park

From the frigid punas in the Andes, Manu National Park was established in 1973, between the regions of Cusco and Madre de Dios, with the objective of preserving and conserving its incredible biodiversity. In the Heart of Manu lives the indigenous communities of the Matsiguenka who have the right to use the territory they occupy and freely carry out their activities according to traditional practices and customs. However, the community have limitations in developing economic activities in Manu, with the aim to generate sources of income and alternative uses of biodiversity resources for the native communities the Casa Matsiguenka Lodge project was founded. Do you want to know how the only case in Peru where the native communities have formed their own ecotourism company is operated? Read their full Good Practice Story!

Tingo Maria National Park

The Tingo María National Park is located 6 kilometres southwest of the city of Tingo María, in the districts of Mariano Dámaso Beraún and Rupa Rupa. It is one of the oldest protected natural areas (ANP) in Peru and is made up of the mountain range of Sleeping Beauty, known as the silhouette of its peaks, which resemble the profile of a woman lying on her back. It is one of the most notorious tourist attractions in the city of Tingo María and has been developing amazing strategies to integrate local wealth with the conservation of natural resources. want to know more? Read their full Good Practice Story!

Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve is a vast area of the Amazonian jungle and floodable forest in northeastern Peru, bordered by the Marañón and Ucayali rivers. Known for its biodiversity, it shelters animals from pink dolphins to spider monkeys and giant South American turtles. It’s also home to hundreds of bird species, like colourful macaws. Pacaya Samiria is the second-largest protected area in Peru. It is a paradise for nature lovers, with a biodiversity that is manifested in more than 1000 species of animals and 965 species of wild plants. This protected natural area, has been threatened since long before its creation by activities such as small-scale agriculture, illegal logging, illegal hunting, illegal fishing, and the expansion of human settlements. Read their Good Practice story and understand how by multi-stakeholder collaboration the national reserve has accomplished the conservation of natural areas.

Paracas National Reserve

Paracas National Reserve, situated on Peru’s south coast, is a protected natural area and the oldest marine reserve in Peru. The desert and the islands are home to over 400 species of flora and fauna, and they offer breathtaking views of the ocean coastline. The reserve faced issues with disorderly tourism, generated agglomeration, disorder and, a large generation of solid waste on the beach itself. The solution was to start a process of recovery and regulation, in order to exercise better control of tourists, reduce the impact on the landscape and reduce the generation of solid waste. Want to know how Paracas National Reserve is implementing sustainable measures? Read their Good Travel Story!

Tambopata National Reserve

In the Amazonian region of Madre de Dios, Tambopata National Reserve has a variety of well-preserved habitats that make the destination one of the most biodiverse areas in the world and the perfect place to discover the rainforest. This place contains some of the wildest, least impacted habitats in the Amazon, and it is on the shortlist of “must-see” nature destinations in Peru and South America. Facing the soil and natural areas degradation due to the unregulated tourism activity Tambopata National Reserve began to recover important areas of the landscape environment of the tourist attraction Lake Sandoval and its access trails. Did you got interested on knowing how Tamboapata improved the access trail to Laka Sandoval and also helped preserving nature? Read their Good Practice Story!

Bosque de Pomac Historic Sanctuary

Bosque de Pomac Historic Sanctuary is a protected area in Peru located in the region of Lambayeque. This area preserves part of the Tumbes-Piura dry forests and several pyramids built by Pre-Columbian cultures. Under threat of illegal agriculture, logging and other clandestine activities, the National Government, the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations, the Academy and the local population initiated actions to preserve and restore the degraded areas to recover the integrity of the 1,706. 47 ha of affected ecosystems. Want to know how Pomac Historic Sanctuary has been restored? Read their Good Practice Story!

Sandia

The province of Sandia is located in the southern Andes, in the high jungle of the Puno region. It has characteristics of high Andean and Amazonian areas and it is well known for the coffee as it’s called “The route of coffee” or “The home of the world’s best coffee”. The ancient terraces of CuyoCuyo are recognized as the first area of agrobiodiversity in Peru and also an extensive area of forest and Amazonian biodiversity. The production of organic and high-quality coffee brought to Sandia’s community the opportunity to develop an economy that respects the land and its people. Read Sandia’s Good Practice Story to learn more about the culture of coffee in the region.

Colca and Volcanoes Valley 

The Colca Valley is located in the Caylloma Province in Arequipa, in southern Peru. It is a territory with a strong cultural identity, which has its origins in pre-Hispanic times when it was inhabited by Collaguas and Cabanas indigenous populations. Also, UNESCO recognized the “Cañón del Colca and Valle de los Volcanes de Andagua Geopark” as the first geopark in Peru due to their geodiversity and geological, natural, cultural and immaterial heritage.