Protecting the Irreplaceable: Establishment of the Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area in Cajamarca, Peru

A bird’s song rings through the newly-established Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area. It is the sound of the Marañón spinetail (Synallaxis maranonica), a bird with gray plumage and a chestnut colored back, wings and tail, which lives in dense vines within the dry forest, often in humid ravines or near streams. Its plaintive song sounds almost like a cry for help. Perhaps it is because the Marañón spinetail is categorized as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, meaning that it faces an extremely high risk of extinction. 

The risk to the Marañón spinetail stems from habitat loss, mainly due to agricultural expansion and wildfires, but also from a simple lack of awareness. But fortunately the bird and its dry forest habitat does have its champions. Through an effort spanning the past five years, the Regional Government of Cajamarca with the support of the AAF-grantee Nature and Culture International completed a rigorous process to request that the Peruvian national government approve the establishment of a regional conservation area (RCA) in the Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo. The new Regional Conservation Area (RCA) was formally established by Supreme Decree on May 17, 2025.

The Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo RCA spans 45,494 acres (18,411 hectares) in the province of Cutervo, part of the department of Cajamarca in the northern Peruvian highlands. Its objectives are to conserve an important regional sample of the Marañón Seasonally Dry Inter-Andean Forest ecosystem, thus contributing to the conservation of habitats for endemic species found in this area and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources for the maintenance of environmental services. 

“This area provides several ecosystem services, such as climate regulation and soil conservation, carbon capture and the provision of water for public consumption and agricultural use,” mentions Daryl Briones Longa, Deputy Manager of Natural Resources and Protected Natural Areas of the Regional Government of Cajamarca. Likewise, Briones mentions that this area is part of the Natural Areas Conservation System of Cajamarca and its establishment is part of the Cajamarca department’s institutional goals, taking into account priority sites for conservation at the regional and national level. The Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo RCA is a unique ecoregion at the national and global level as the third RCA in Peru to protect the Marañón Dry Forests and the only protected area in Peru to protect the habitat of the Marañón spinetail.

Like the deputy manager, the community members of the 17 towns within and surrounding this RCA know the importance of safeguarding this area to protect their forests and conserve natural resources and wildlife against threats such as deforestation, wildfires, and land grabbing. Lilia Tarrillo Arévalo, a resident of Malleta, reflects on this: “I want these forests to be conserved because it is necessary to purify the environment and allows the conservation of many animals and plants. This is important for ecological balance and for life.”

This area provides several ecosystem services, such as climate regulation and soil conservation, carbon capture and the provision of water for public consumption and agricultural use.”

– Daryl Briones Longa, Deputy Manager of Natural Resources and Protected Natural Areas

Establishing protected areas is a fundamental tool for the protection of biodiversity. This RCA is home to 475 species of flora and fauna and protects Critically Endangered species, such as the Marañón spinetail bird and the cat’s claw plant (Mimosa lamolina), endemic species to the Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo. Additional threatened and endemic fauna being protected in the RCA include the jaeno sparrow (Incaspiza watkinsi), gray-winged finch (Incaspiza ortizi), Marañón moon breast (Melanopareia maranonica), and Marañón lizard (Amevia nodam). Flora species such as Jatropha weberbaueri and Piper sp. present in the RCA are used in traditional medicine practices while the RCA is also the habitat of endemic species of flora such as Maraniona lavinii. Birds and plants like these species have an important role in the local ecological balance, says Elvis Allauja Salazar, project manager at Nature and Culture International.

Per Allauja, the establishment of this RCA is a commitment for everyone in Cutervo; it safeguards the native dry forest’s ecology, which brings benefits to the current population and future generations.

Acknowledgements: 

The establishment of the Interandean Dry Forests of Cutervo Regional Conservation Area was made possible by the Regional Government of Cajamarca with the technical support of Nature and Culture International. The Andes Amazon Fund’s financial support for this project was generously provided by the Wyss Foundation and by Art into Acres in partnership with Re:wild.