Peru

We have supported the creation of reserves in ecosystems known for their great capacity to store carbon, such as the páramo, cloud forest, and the Amazon. These reserves function as large carbon sinks that help mitigate climate change and maintain healthy ecosystems.  By protecting these areas and halting deforestation and forest degradation, Nature and Culture has prevented more than one billion tons of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.

Nature and Culture works with local communities and governments in the recovery and restoration of the montane forests of Piura, Cajamarca, and the Amazon. By supporting communal forest nurseries and planting native species with the help of the local communities our work directly contributes to the mitigation of climate change.

Nature and Culture is working to protect a biological corridor that spans almost 5 million acres along the Ecuadorian and Peruvian tropical Andes, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. This corridor is home to endangered species such as the spectacled bear, the mountain tapir, the Andean eagle, the jaguar, and the puma.  This corridor will also protect several binational water sources, which supply water to the populations of southern Ecuador and northern Peru.

Nature and Culture is working to reduce deforestation and protect one of the most threatened areas of Peru’s Amazon. Located in Loreto, our team has partnered with Indigenous communities, authorities, and organizations to achieve sustainable conservation in more than 7.3 million acres of the tropical rain forest. By protecting this vast territory we are safeguarding the habitat of endangered animals such as the giant river otter and the harpy eagle.

To determine critical conservation areas to protect, one of the most important criteria is the protection of key water sources, on which thousands of people depend. We have protected the headwaters of the Nanay River, which supplies water to the coast of Peru, and the Utcubamba River, one of the most important rivers in the Amazon region.

In 2014 Nature and Culture helped create the Andes del Norte water fund, one of the most successful water service compensation programs in Peru. This fund promotes the conservation, protection, and recovery of the páramos and montane forests of northern Peru, which provide water resources to the San Lorenzo and Poechos reservoirs, benefitting around one million inhabitants and over 400,000 acres of crops for export.

The Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) is a herbivore that lives in the paramo and montane forests of the Andes. It is known as the gardener of forests for its ability to disperse seeds. It is currently in critical danger due to the destruction of its habitat. Together with communities and local governments, we’ve implemented a plan to protect the habitat of the Mountain Tapir, in the Piura and Cajamarca regions.

The technical team of Nature and Culture supports the research and registration of little-known threatened species. Such is the case of the spectacled bear, the only native bear species found in South America, that was registered in the Regional Conservation Area Bosque Montano de Carpish – department of Huánuco. Nature and Culture, along with local researchers are monitoring this bear and its habitat.

Peru is home to more than 18% of the world’s bird species: an impressive number of more than 1800 species, of which 138 are found nowhere else on the planet. Two-thirds of Peru’s birds inhabit the natural areas that Nature and Culture helps protect. An example is the golden-backed mountain tanager (Cnemathraupis aureodorsalis), which inhabits the slopes of the Peruvian Andes.

Strengthening the collective rights of local communities is a fundamental part of the work of Nature and Culture. We support the protection of Indigenous territories through the legal recognition of the title to their lands, the strengthening of their organizations, and the revival of their ancestral cultures. In addition, we train our local allies in the sustainable management of their natural resources.

Local communities are our best allies for the control and monitoring of threats to natural resources. Nature and Culture supports local communities with training for the prevention, control, and monitoring of forest fires. In addition, we work with community volunteers to create local control and surveillance organizations in the protected areas we have created. These volunteers are responsible for monitoring and reporting threats such as deforestation, hunting, or illegal mining.

Nature and Culture International supports local communities in sustainable production and the search for a market for the sale of their local products, such as honey, tara, or artisanal handicrafts. In Loreto, in the Peruvian Amazon, we have trained communities in the sustainable harvest of aguaje to avoid the destruction of tall trees from which aguajes grow and we have identified fair markets for the sale of these fruits.