Our Peru Program

Peru is one of the world’s most megadiverse countries, with a great concentration of endemic animal and plant species known nowhere else on Earth. Its ecosystems range from the arid mid-Pacific coast across steep Andean mountains into the dense Amazon rain forests, creating an astonishing 84 life zones with countless species of flora and fauna. This enormous variety in species is further enriched by the great cultural wealth of native populations, who have developed extensive knowledge of the characteristics and potential uses of the country’s rich biodiversity.

Many Peruvian ecosystems are in danger, however. Migratory agricultural and selective wood exploitation along with increasing development of petroleum and mining operations due to growth in global demand, present a serious threat to Peru’s biodiversity.

NCI’s conservation dollars work hard in the field to protect Peru’s rich biological wealth, while helping local communities to find and sustain livelihoods based on living ecosystems.

Learn more about our conservation programs in Peru

	Tumbesian Tropical Dry Forests The tropical dry forests of northwestern Peru and southwestern Ecuador (Tumbesian Region) are considered a priority for international biodiversity conservation due to the great number of unique plant and animal species found only in this ecosystem, and since over 95% of the region’s original ecosystem has been lost due to human activities.
	Andean Cloud Forests Andean cloud forests harbor great biodiversity with many unique species of plants and animals in a multitude of ecological niches defined by altitude change and other factors. These eastern Andean cloud forests are the world’s number one biodiversity priority due to their extraordinary species richness.
	Lowland Amazon Rainforests The Amazon Basin is the most biologically diverse ecosystem in Peru with a mosaic of habitats created by a range of soil conditions, altitudes and river dynamics. The variety of habitats include white and black water forests, varzea (seasonally flooded woodlands growing along rivers in the Amazon), and some rare, pristine examples of American white sand forests.