New Partnership Will Contribute $1 Million to the Implementation of Yaguas National Park in Peru

The Andes Amazon Fund is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Bobolink Foundation that will support the effective management of protected areas in the Andes-Amazon region of South America.

The first effort in this collaboration will be to support the implementation of the newly created Yaguas National Park in Loreto, Peru with a donation to Peru’s National Protected Area Service, SERNANP, totaling $1 million.

This support will contribute to Peru’s Natural Legacy (Patrimonio del Perú)— a new financing initiative that aims to strengthen the management of the country’s protected area system— and will be administered by the Peruvian National Protected Areas Trust, PROFONANPE. 

The donation will support social development projects that will benefit the indigenous communities around Yaguas as well as the direct protection and management of the Park by SERNANP and community patrols.

“The creation of Yaguas National Park will ensure that surrounding indigenous communities have healthy and biodiverse forest, river, and wetland ecosystems. This is good for local people, for Peru, and for the planet,” said Chairman of the Bobolink Foundation, Wendy Paulson.

Spanning over 2 million acres, Yaguas protects a pristine watershed with rich rainforest fauna as well as intact rivers and wetlands. Fish diversity appears to be among the highest recorded for any comparable watershed in the world with over 550 species. These fish stocks are vital for the food security of local communities, as 77% of the rural population in Loreto consumes fish daily.

“National parks can safeguard the ecosystems that generate fish, wildlife and other resources for surrounding communities. We hope our financial support will be used to create management programs that directly benefit indigenous communities. Everyone loses when ecosystems are destroyed. Everyone wins when they remain productive,” said Andes Amazon Fund Executive Director Dr. Adrian Forsyth.

Download the full press release here. 

Photo credits: Alvaro del Campo— Field Museum.