| Peru | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | South America | ||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | |||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | 1700
Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20036
Telephone: (202) 833-9860 Fax: (202) 659-8124 E-mail: lepruwash@aol.com |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Forestry
Sciences Department
NBII |
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| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | Peru has long been known for its rich precious metals and mineral deposits. Also due to its strategic location and oceanic claims it is one of the world's foremost producers of anchovies. The country is rich in varied zones, each of which has its own unique plant and animal species. Peru can be divided into three major regions: a narrow coastal belt, the wide Andean mountains and the Amazon Basin. The coastal strip is predominantly desert. To the east is the Amazon Basin, a region of tropical lowland, which is drained by the Maranon and Ucayali rivers. Its tropical montane cloud forests are vitally important in protecting the watershed and maintaining the hydrologicalcycle, capturing water from the air and gradually releasing it to the ground and streams. Peru's variation, from its tropical rainforest to its coastal deserts, with their huge rolling dunes, makes it one of the most important countries in the world for potental ecotourism. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Peru's Amazonian rainforest in the east is being cleared and turned into farmland at an alarming rate. Even though a large majority of the country lies safe from impeeding dangers due its own natural protection from its steep mountainsides, even the slightest loss is immense. Peru has little legislation that protects from deforestation and conservation of threatened species. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 1,280,000 sq km | CIA Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 68090 hectares | World Resources | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | (Sq. km) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 5,220 sq km | CIA Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Population: 26,111,110 | Density: | 343.6 /Sq. km | |||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: | 4176 hectares | Fraction of land area protected (%): | 3.25 | World Resources | |||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | List
of Major Protected Areas
Marine Protected Areas: Parque Nacional - Cerro Illescas e Islas Lobos
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Information Center for the Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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Peru's Birds | |||||||||||||||||
| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | |||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | 6/27/75 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | |||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 12/29/93 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | |||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | |||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | Produces 5.64 metric tons of fish and shellfish annually | World Resources | |||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | Ecological tourism in Peru is ideal because all existing possibilities can be found in the country's three regions: Coast, Mountain and Jungle. Manu National Park is one such example that is visited frequently each year. | Peru's Ecotourism | |||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | Tourism focused on Andean hiking and rafting has become very popular recently. There is also a lot of tourism associated with visiting the ruins of indigenous peoples. | Hiking& Rafting in Peru | |||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | |||||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | Drastic mining has contaminated most of the countries water supplies. Futile attemps have been made towards purification but few are succeeding. | Peruvian Mining | |||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | |||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | |||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | |||||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Daniel Van Dellen as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA