Peru: Promotion of conservation of Amazon forests

Source:
ITTO/Fordaq
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Under the National Forest Conservation Programme for the Mitigation of Climate Change (Forest Program) the regional government of Loreto and the Ministry of the Environment (Minam) are joining forces to promote the conservation of some 350,000 hectares of forests.

The Minam Forest Program provides economic incentives to native communities for the development of productive activities, strengthening surveillance of the forest and improving communal management. The aim is to have within two years approximately 350,000 hectares under a forest conservation plan.

However, despite the best efforts of the authorities, according to the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor) in 2016 at total of 164,662 hectares of Amazon rainforest were lost, an increase of 5.2% over 2015. The Departments with the greatest loss of forest cover compared to 2015 were Junín, Loreto, Cusco, Cajamarca, Puno, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Piura, Amazonas and Pasco.

The monitoring carried out in 15 Amazonian departments shows that in Loreto (northern area), Ucayali (Curimana), Madre de Dios (Río Tambopata) and Junín (Anapati River) forest losses have been recorded due to natural events that occurred during the last three years, apparently from wind and floods but the authorities say this requires more detailed analysis.

During the period 2001 to 2016 there was a loss of 1,974,209 hectares of Amazon rainforest, with an annual average loss of 123,388 hectares.

Serfor Executive Director, John Leigh, said that with these data call for immediate preventive action against reforestation. He emphasised that Minam is also aware of the early warnings of an increase in loss of forest cover.

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