New Protected Forest Safeguards Wildlife and Water

A biodiverse Amazon forest has gained permanent national protection in Peru, safeguarding wildlife habitat and water sources that support more than 10,000 people.

The new protected area will help conserve “essential ecosystem services” for local residents, including Awajún Indigenous communities, while protecting the headwaters of two major river basins.

The Tijae–Río Nieva Protection Forest covers 30,017 hectares of montane and cloud forest and becomes the country’s 78th national protected area. It provides habitat for 618 bird species, 72 mammals and 99 amphibian and reptile species, including the critically endangered yellow-tailed woolly monkey and the Andean bear. Its permanent protection also creates an ecological corridor with the neighbouring Alto Mayo Protection Forest, strengthening connected habitat across the region.