THE PERUVIAN AMAZON

An essay by GCSE geographer Ella W

The Peruvian Amazon is the third largest rainforest in the world, covering 60% of Peru. Only 5% of Peruvians actually live in this area. It is one of the most diverse biomes in the world and habitat to 44% of all bird species and 63% of all mammals, meaning it is extremely important that this biome is protected. It is a very fragile ecosystem as there is a complex relationship between abiotic and biotic factors. If something were to be changed, the whole ecosystem could be affected. Charities such as the WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) are working with the Peruvian government to help create a sustainable management plan for the conservation of wildlife in the forest. One such plan is the Purus-Manu Conservation Corridor. Located in the southeast of Peru, it is a protected area of land that supports long-term biodiversity and protects indigenous communities that live in the forest. It is an area of over 10 million hectares and the largest preserved area in the Amazon. Native communities rely on the forest for food, water, clothing and shelter. When illegal activities happen, such as logging and ranching, these communities are forced out of their homes. The large space of protected land means that there is a safe space for native communities to live. Environmentally, it protects the biodiversity of the rainforest. This is

extremely significant as a lot of the animals and plants are endangered or only native to the Amazon rainforest. Without this protection the biodiversity would be damaged. It is also positive economically because charity initiatives help to preserve the forest. This also encourages tourism and helps the Peruvian economy which is putting money towards preserving the rainforest.

Unfortunately, attempts to protect the biodiversity haven’t been very successful because there are still many illegal activities happening in the rainforest. The Peruvian Amazon is gigantic and, even though there are troops guarding the forest, it is impossible to prevent people from entering. Because of the dense layers of vegetation, it is even impossible to see any illegal activity from a helicopter. There is a huge road, the Transatlantic Highway, that travels through the Peruvian Amazon and into the Brazilian Amazon. This is extremely dangerous to the rainforest as it makes it more accessible to criminals who are illegally logging and mining in the forest. Mining is especially threatening to the biodiversity of the forest because huge machines and mercury are used to extract gold and minerals. Mercury is highly toxic and, once used, it goes into the soil and kills any plants. The government now requires management for any harvesting activities that take place, so that people harvest goods in the most sustainable way. However, this plan, which was put in place in 2000, has many flaws as the Amazon is such a difficult place to police. To conclude, the management plans do protect a large area of the Peruvian Amazon, but the area is so large that there is no way to police it effectively. This causes problems as it is easy to illegally log, mine and harvest goods, damaging the biodiversity of the rainforest and hurting native communities. Overall, it is very difficult to manage the rainforest and more needs to be done to protect it.