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WWF's Approved Projects
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WWF in Peru Peru is the largest country in the tropical Andean region. It is extremely rich in species and biological diversity. Parched coastal deserts with scanty rainfall on one side, and vast expanses of tropical rainforests make up its ecosystems. Between these two extremes are dry forests, high grasslands, dwarf and cloud forests, and snow-capped mountains, some above 6,800 m. Most of Peru's biological diversity is concentrated in the forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes and in the coastal and marine waters. More than 1,600 bird species have been recorded in Peru, half of these in a single protected area, the Manu National Park. Peru's plankton-rich coastal and marine systems support a wide variety of fish, shellfish, birds and marine mammals. Eight species of whales, five species of dolphin, and one species of porpoise are found in the Peruvian sea. The vast Amazon river is home to some 9,000 fish species. Peru is also home to some 360 mammal species, including endangered ones such as the yellow-tailed woolly monkey, the jaguar and the giant river otter. Peru is estimated to have more than five million species of beetles. On one single tree, scientists once found some 2,000 different insect species--48 of them ants. But much of this is at risk. Logging, poaching, illegal grazing, and oil exploration are exerting pressures on the environment. Population pressures have resulted in reckless timber extraction, subsistence farming and cattle raising, leading to further degradation of the environment. Urbanization has increased, with 70 per cent of Peruvians having left rural areas for more lucrative prospects in the cities. Natural resource management is therefore subjected to commercial gain. Peru, along with some other countries of the region, including Paraguay, has been implicated in the contraband trade in wildlife and wildlife products. Nearly a third of all wildlife exports from the developing world come from South America. This, despite the fact that all the countries involved are members of CITES. WWF has been involved in conservation work in Peru as part of its Hispanic South America programme. The programme combines protected areas and natural resource management in certain ecosystems in the region. These include the Amazon (Rio Abesio National Park, Manu); high Andes; marine and coastal areas (Puracas Marine Reserve); and Pacific dry forests (Noroeste Biosphere Reserve). Its conservation work in the Manu Biosphere Reserve in southeastern Peru is exemplary. WWF first became involved in the reserve in 1969. Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the park contains a variety of ecosystems. The Amazonian rainforests, spread over 1.8 million ha in the reserve are home to a number of mammals, birds, freshwater fishes, amphibians, and plants. There are 12 other ecosystems as well, ranging from cloud and dwarf forests to the 4,000 m-high Andean puna (high altitude cold desert). WWF is now focusing on the southern buffer zone of the reserve which houses some 13,000 people. Indiscriminate timber extraction has severely depleted forest resources. With financial support from Britain's Overseas Development Agency and the European Union, WWF is working with the Peruvian Foundation for the Conservation of Nature and local communities. The aim is to develop an alternative resource management programme for the region which involves initiatives such as replanting, animal husbandry, and agroforestry. A key component of WWF's activities in Peru is environmental education. WWF works with various local groups on a wide-ranging environmental education programme among native and settler communities, as well as in the formal education sector.
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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature