Purus - Manu Conservation Corridor

The Alto Purus National Park and the Purus Communal Reserve form, alongside four territorial reserves for indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation and other neighboring protected areas, such as the Manu National Park, one of the main conservation corridors throughout the Amazon in Peru. It is also one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.

This region is the source of four of the most important river basins in the Amazon. The local population – including over 60 communities from 15 ethnic groups – depends directly on the goods and services provided by these forests, including water, food, medicine, clothing and housing. Moreover, it encompasses the largest extension of responsibly managed forests for timber, shiringa (vegetable latex) and other forests products. It also functions as a refuge for threatened species, such as river dolphins – which southern distribution limit in Peru is here –, and mahogany – which grows here at the highest concentration in the entire Amazon.

This is also home to some of the last groups of indigenous people in voluntary isolation and initial contact. These groups have disappeared elsewhere in the Amazon due to migration, increasing extractive activities, such as illegal logging, productive activities, such as farming and ranching, and infrastructure projects, such as highways, without proper planning.

This place is a source of tremendous opportunities and pride that we must conserve.