Peru has taken a major step toward protecting one of the Amazon's most ecologically and culturally important regions.
On June 6, the government designated the Medio Putumayo-Algodón Regional Conservation Area — a 700,000-acre stretch of rainforest in northern Peru near the Colombian border. The area is home to rare species like giant otters, pink dolphins, and woolly monkeys, and it supports 16 Indigenous communities that have stewarded the land for generations.
With this new protection, those communities — nearly 5,000 people in total — gain formal land rights and long-term support to continue traditional practices such as fishing, harvesting, and plant medicine, while protecting the forest from illegal logging and mining.
"Every hectare protected here means more space for jaguars to roam, more clean water for river otters, and more security for the Indigenous communities who depend on this forest," said Luis Espinel, head of Conservation International–Peru.
The reserve also plays a powerful role in climate action. It holds one of the largest carbon stocks in Peru, storing the equivalent pollution of 14 million cars per year. Its protection is expected to prevent more than 46,000 hectares of deforestation over the next 20 years, bringing Peru closer to its goal of protecting 30% of its ecosystems by 2030.
"This protection gives Indigenous communities what they've long called for — the ability to keep this forest standing," said Yadira Díaz, a scientist at Conservation International. "It secures one of the most unique corners of Amazonia — for the benefit of us all."
The reserve links three existing protected areas, forming a 7,000-square-mile corridor — nearly twice the size of Puerto Rico — where wildlife can move freely and ecosystems can thrive.
Similar efforts across the Amazon show how Indigenous-led conservation dramatically reduces deforestation. Other partnerships between scientists and communities are helping protect biodiversity in the face of a growing tipping point.
Want to help? Start by taking local action or starting a conversation about conservation.
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