Polylepis Conservation Corridors

The Cordillera Blanca mountain range in northern Peru is not only the largest tropical glacier on our planet; it also is home to the last remains of Quenual, the dwarf high-altitude clouded forests of the Polylepis species, habitat to several endangered birds of the Andes. The goal of the project is to establish conservation agreements with communities that own these forests and elaborate plans to protect them, ideally through the establishment of legal protection arrangements. The project is currently working with six communities in the Conchucos Valley, towards the southern end of the Cordillera Blanca. The biological richness of these forests has been documented by partner ECOAN, communities have agreed to cooperation agreements and forest owners and users are restoring the forest and taking measures to prevent deforestation or fires. Responding to local requests and as counter-part  of the conservation agreement, the project supports development of alternative sources of firewood, improved stoves, increased productivity of lower  grasslands to reduce cattle pressure and school activities. This project is implemented with Conservation International and the financial support of the Global Conservation Fund and Ancash Association.