PERU

Empower Indigenous Communities to Protect a Cloud Forest in Peru

Project Cost: $1,447,026

Funding Raised: $1,447,026

Please note that your donation may not be immediately reflected in the funding thermometer above.

Nearly one acre of forest is lost every second

37M+ ACRES SAVED

Thanks to generous support from our donors, we have successfully reached our fundraising goal for this project!

Safeguard Rare and Beautiful Cloud Forest

In south central Peru’s Andes mountain range, the pristine and beautiful San Cristobal Cloud Forest is easily distinguished by the cloud cover that envelops the lush green treetops.

The steep slopes used to keep this forest remote and largely untouched, but now Rainforest Trust needs your help to save it as modern technology and improved transportation infrastructure have given easier access to those who wish to exploit the landscape for short-term monetary gain. Unchecked deforestation has levelled swaths of trees for unsustainable cattle grazing and the area’s potential for mining is quickly attracting developers. Header Photo: The Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey, by Kevin Schafer.

COUNTRY
Peru

ACRES
130,337

COST PER ACRE
$11.10

SPECIES
Peruvian Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey (CR), Andean Night Monkey (EN), Black-faced Black Spider Monkey (EN)

(CR)=Critically Endangered, (EN)=Endangered

ACRES CONSERVED BY
Designation

PARTNER
Yunkawasi

CARBON STORAGE
15,437,299 mT*
*(metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents)

Stop Deforestation, Help Local Communities

The destruction of these forests releases millions of tons of carbon and threatens the only home of the Huanca indigenous people who have lived there for generations. In addition, species like the endemic Peruvian Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey (CR) and Andean Night Monkey (EN), who rely on high-elevation forests for survival are put at serious risk of extinction.

To prevent further damage and safeguard this ecosystem in perpetuity, Rainforest Trust is working with our local partner, Yunkawasi, to establish a 130,337-acre protected area in the San Cristobal Cloud Forest. If we do not act quickly, the site will soon become heavily populated and the land will be lost forever.

Help Us Set a Conservation Standard in the Region

Locally, your support will help the Huanca communities in and around the proposed site gain legal title to their lands, who have cultural traditions and forest stewardship practices that are threatened by deforestation. Our partner is also working closely with the Huanca people to minimize risks to this landscape by setting a standard for protection in the region.

Globally, the protection of this paradise will keep 15.5 million metric tons of carbon – nearly equivalent to the annual emissions of every passenger car in the state of Virginia – stored in our Earth. Photos: (Above) The Spectacled Bear, by Milton Rodriguez; (Below) The Peruvian landscape, by project partner, Yunkawasi.

 

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