A Birder’s Paradise Protected in Peru
12/03/2020
Strategic Area:
Species - Wild Places -
Content Type: Blog
Country:
Peru -
We have exciting news, thanks to donors like you!
Nature and Culture International is pleased to announce the creation of a new conservation area in the Peruvian Andes. The newly established Unchog Private Conservation Area protects a birder’s paradise – fragile habitat home to birds found nowhere else on the planet!
Unchog Private Conservation Area spans 2,187 acres of puna forests and grasslands in Huánuco, Peru, a key area for bird diversity according to Birdlife International. Its vast landscape is home to 89 species of birds, including many endemic bird species, or birds that occur only in this region. The coppery metaltail (Metallura theresiae), Peruvian wren (Cynnicerthia peruana), and golden-backed mountain tanager (Buthraupis aureodorsalis) are just a few rare birds that reside in the area.
Mammals like the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) and a great variety of plants live alongside the area’s abundant bird populations. Flora include threatened and unique species – some of which are newly recorded in Huánuco.
Unchog Private Conservation Area not only protects wildlife and abundant habitat, but also, according to Nature and Culture conservationist Christian Pérez, “is key for the sustainable development of communities and for sustaining environmental conditions.“
The area’s forests and grasslands contain important sources of water for nearby communities, including wetlands and a lagoon. Unchog Private Conservation Area will safeguard water supplies from unsustainable agriculture, mining, and other threats, and help regulate local climate.
Additionally, Unchog Private Conservation Area has great potential to boost local economies through tourism, in particular through hiking and birdwatching. An increase in tourism will benefit communities by creating jobs, encouraging sustainable development, and providing additional economic opportunities.
The establishment is a result of a close relationship and extensive collaboration between local communities and Nature and Culture. Unchog Private Conservation Area was created with the financial support of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and generous people like you!
With your help, Nature and Culture’s team in Peru will continue to work with local communities to ensure effective and lasting conservation impact in the Peruvian Andes.
Thank you for making this achievement possible! We hope that this bit of good news inspires you to continue fighting for nature and culture.
Learn more about your impact in the Andes here.
