Here, the Peruvian Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey (CR), Andean Night Monkey (EN) and Golden-backed Mountain-tanager (EN) hang on in a threatened tropical stronghold beyond compare. Time is ticking for this fragile rainforest habitat: deforestation and resource extraction are on the rise across the region, threatening the rich diversity of wildlife that rely on it.

Rainforest Trust and our partner, Nature and Culture International are working together to establish the San Pedro de Chonta and Monte Azul de Yanajanca Regional Conservation Areas which will safeguard 625,006 acres in urgent need of protection from deforestation. In turn, this project will lock up 99,074,449 metric tons of CO2 equivalents – commensurate to the annual emissions of 21.3 million cars – to help stabilize the global climate.

We must act quickly, because the nearby Huallaga River Valley and Monzon Valley are among the most heavily deforested zones in the Peruvian Tropical Andes and the destruction will soon spread without formal protection.

Create a wildlife corridor for rare and threatened species

These new protected areas will preserve vital wildlife corridors and provide the final critical step in closing large gaps of a 2.5-million-acre network of parks and community reserves.

The landscape rises dramatically from only 1/2 mile above sea level to 2-1/2 miles in elevation, with a variety of habitats including montane forests, dry forests and grasslands. Each habitat is home to a unique biodiversity that includes a great diversity of birds, including the Ruddy Pigeon (VU), Gray Tinamou (VU), Bay-vented Cotinga (VU), and the Rufous-breasted Wood-quail and Huallaga Tanager.

Support our community-based solution

To secure a brighter future for these rainforests, we will implement proven community-based solutions that benefit both people and threatened species. Our partner will assist community stakeholders to co-manage the reserves for land and species using sustainable practices once formal protection is secured. Together, they will develop viable revenue streams because they recognize, as we do, that this is our last opportunity to save these unique Andean landscapes and the imperiled species that call them home.