Perú: Reserva Ecológica Inkaterra

Globally Significant Biodiversity Conservation

Peru is one of the eight “mega-diverse” countries which together possess more than 70% of the world’s biodiversity. The IER is located within an area of Peru that is often cited as the “global epicenter of biodiversity.” Specifically, the IER is found 15 kilometers northeast of Puerto Maldonado – which the Peruvian Government officially recognized in 1994 as the “biodiversity capital” of the nation. Puerto Maldonado is found within the state of Madre de Dios. Although this state represents only 7 percent of Peru's total territory (i.e., 83,000 km2), more than 30 percent of amphibian, reptile and fish species from continental waters are found here as well as at least 40 percent of Peru's mammal and bird species. As a result, Madre de Dios is a key region within Conservation International’s Tropical Andes Hotspot.

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Figure 4: Inka Terra Ecological Reserve

Figure 3: Project Location within Madre de Dios State
he IER is located near numerous protected areas within the state of Madre de Dios that are virtually interconnected. On the southern side, across the Madre de Dios River, the IER is bordered by the Tambopata National Reserve (TNR). To the southeast is found the Bajuaja Sonene National Park (BSNP). Together the TNR and BSNP make up 1.3M million hectares. Further west are located the Amarakaeri Comunal Reserve, Los Amigos Conservation Concession, and Manu Biosphere Reserve (which UNESCO declared to be the “Natural Heritage of Humanity” in 1987). In total, these protected areas cover more than 60% of the state of Madre de Dios. Quite importantly, the IER and these other protected areas form a key part of the 30 million hectare Vilcabamba Amboró Conservation Corridor, which extends from the Apurímac Reserve in central Peru to the Amboró National Park in central Bolivia. Preserving the ecological integrity of this corridor is a priority for Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, and other conservation organizations.
Although the IER is relatively small compared to other protected areas in Peru, it nonetheless possesses globally significant biodiversity. Because it located adjacent to the Madre de Dios River, much of the IER constitutes a floodplain. As such, the IER contains various types of flooded and non-flooded tropical forests. The forests that are prone to flooding include highly diverse Mauritia palm swamps (known is Spanish as “aguajales”). The fruits of the Mauritia palm are used as food by fish, mammals, birds, and people. The trunks serve as nest sites for macaws and other birds and are often harvested for starch or insects by local people. The Mauritia palm and other trees within the swampy forests are covered with a huge array of vines, bromeliads, and orchids. In fact, the IER is home to more than 1,000 species of flowering plants. Thirty-three of the floral species in the IER have been identified as endemic to the Peruvian Amazon. The IER also contains at least 366 species of birds, 83 species of reptiles, 442 species of spiders, 362 species of ants, and 44 species of mollusks. When conducting his seminal work on ants, the renowned Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson declared that the IER contains more species of ants than any other single location in the world.

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Figure 5: Palm Swamps

he IER is also important for many species of fish. The state of Madre de Dios contains over 250 species, which constitutes more than 30% of all fish species in Peru. Nearly all of the fish in the state, in one way or another, are linked to floodplain rainforests such as those of the IER. Many fish species eat fruits and seeds – and the flooded forests are their orchards. To conserve the fish of the Amazon basin it will be necessary to protect the floodplain rainforests on which they depend for food, shelter, and breeding habitat.

Baseline Situation

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Figure 6: Local Communities
adre de Dios state has the lowest population density in Peru and represents only 0.3% of the country's population, or 84,000 inhabitants. This said, Madre de Dios' population is increasing at a faster rate than any other state in Peru, with a 3.3 percent annual growth rate. Large influxes of immigrants, mostly from Peru's poverty-stricken Andean mountains, have been putting increasing pressure on the IER and other protected areas within the state. As Figure 6 indicates, there are now three communities on the border of the IER: Juan Velasco, Juan Pablo³, and Madama.⁴ There are also two communities located near the reserve: Micaela Bastidas (adjacent to the Reserva Amazónica lodge) and Rolin (on the other side of the Madre de Dios river). In the “business as usual” scenario, the activities of these communities, combined with the pressures from outside groups, would constitute ongoing threats to the IER. As explained below, these threats include illegal logging, panning for gold with toxic mercury, hunting and poaching, road construction, and potential impacts from ecotourism.

Road Construction

The Transoceánica Highway is intended to link Brazil with the Pacific Ocean. In the state of Madre de Dios, it passes within 8km of the IER. At present, it is paved in Brazil but still unpaved in Peru. This helps to minimize the amount of traffic for the time being. But there is now a smaller dirt road that extends from the highway to merely 4km away from the community of Madama, which is adjacent to the IER. These roads effectively link Madama to Puerto Maldonado. They pose a threat to the IER because they are being used to extract lumber from the reserve. At the same time, however, these roads present an opportunity for new businesses to arise based upon the sustainable production of non-timber forest products (since it will become more feasible to transport such products to domestic and international markets).