Local municipalities have been investing in forest’s recovery in Madre de Dios

Posted on 14 November 2018

Over 160000 hectares of forest have been deforested in 15 years.

Over 160000 hectares of forest have been deforested in 15 years
Thanks to new technologies and political agreement it is possible to recover degraded soils

In the first half of 2018, the Peruvian Amazon lost over 23,000 hectares of forest, according to the Peru Ministry of Environment (MINAM). Just in the region of Tambopata, in Madre de Dios, 2,700 hectares have been deforested and over 160,000 have been destroyed in the last 15 years. Although it is considered the capital of biodiversity, Madre de Dios is also recognized as one of the areas most devasted by illegal and informal mining, which is one of the main actions that threaten its forests.

Faced with such a concerning situation, in the last years agreements led by local governments have received significant funds for the promotion of natural resource conservation and sustainable use. However, it is imperative to encourage the reinforcement of local and regional municipalities’ and governments’ capacities in terms of legality and administration, in order to take the advantage of funds and then be able to implement long-term strategic planning for local sustainable development.

Joint effort: an investment for forests and people

Good news for the promotion of sustainable development arrives from the Ministry of Environment and Finance that has been increasingly pushing to plan investment projects with a focus on environment. Despite this, it is essential to develop technical competencies in local people to access to public funds as well as the empowerment of local governments in terms of environment public management, that is a challenge, but also an opportunity.

Precisely, as part of the work that WWF Peru is conducting with local governments in Madre de Dios, in 2018 the MINAM committed to use over one million Peruvian soles for the provincial Municipality of Manu, intended to reforest and recover 60 hectares by planting 66,000 trees. Ten native communities have been involved in the management of its territory. As part of this initiative, two new qualified nurseries with the capacity of producing 36,000 plants within three months are being developed in Boca Colorado and Salvación, which are the most degraded areas because of illegal mining. The Ministry of Agriculture through theNational Forestand Wildlife Service (SERFOR) has been financing the work of soil recovery by the Municipality of Inambari, where the mining activity takes place.

By implementing these projects, municipalities aid in reaching the goal of stopping deforestation and lay the foundations for the recovery of vast surface of forests in very degraded areas, contributing to local and national sustainable development. “This work, started in 2015 with the initial objective of recovering almost 42 hectares, increased its goal to 140 hectares in 2018, aiming to reforest more than 155,000 trees in the region of Inambari and Manu province, which are the most destroyed areas in Peru because of mining extraction.”, said Edith Condori, a specialist of WWF Peru.

Guillermo Prudencio

Nylva Hiruelas / WWF Peru

Local municipalities have been investing in forest’s recovery in Madre de Dios

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