Key progress in the protection of biodiversity in Junín, Peru, through the proposed creation of the Huata Private Conservation Area, which is promoted by Asociación Andinus within the framework of the Conserva Aves Initiative being developed in Peru. The national partners accompanying the project are Profonanpe and ECOAN.
Photo credit: Jonathan Chancasana.
Sunrise over the high altimontane yunga forests within the proposed project area.
Conserva Aves is a regional initiative to create and expand subnational protected areas in Latin America. It is led by ABC, Audubon, BirdLife International, Birds Canada and the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC). This Initiative is supported by the Bezos Earth Fund.
The proposal for the creation of the “Huata Private Conservation Area” has made significant progress since it began during the month of February, to date this year, after months of work with the Huata farming community, under the leadership of the Andinus Association and the support of the Conserva Aves initiative.
The advances help in the mission to conserve and protect the native high altimontane (rainforest) forests of Yunga and its watershed headwaters. The project aims to protect the habitat of the Atlapetes melanopsis, an endangered species according to the Red Book and in a near-threatened situation according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as other species close to the area and of conservation interest. From a perspective that seeks to generate direct sustainable development opportunities for local communities, the project seeks to empower the rural community of Huata with respect to the future of the region, allowing them to conserve different species within the proposed space to safeguard the territories of life.
Progress of the project:
To date, more than 12 community assembly meetings have been held, both to socialize the project and to sign agreements. In addition, the team has participated in two dissemination fairs held in the Andamarca district square.
As part of the achievements, a collaborative work agreement was signed between the Andinus association and the rural community of Huata. The social and biological baselines were also drawn up and the first monitoring of the study area was carried out.
Within the framework of inter-institutional cooperation, an alliance was established with the Universidad Peruana Los Andes for its social projection group to support the implementation of a nursery as part of the habitat restoration component of the project.
Finally, in the first phase of the environmental education plan, murals were painted to raise awareness and strengthen the community’s commitment to conservation.
The rural community of Huata, under previous coordination, has allowed access to their areas, and in this way to carry out the different field trips. This has helped to establish the various advances in the components proposed within the project proposal; likewise, the results and findings within the biological baseline have been shared with the community.
Main findings of the baseline and biological monitoring:
In the flora assessment, 62 species associated with birds in the area were identified. Among them, the genera Escallonia and Buddleja stand out as ideal options for future restoration proposals, depending on the needs of the areas and the consensus with the community.
In terms of bird diversity, 58 species distributed in 20 families and 9 orders were recorded. Among the most relevant for conservation are Atlapetes melanopsis, Asthenes palpebralis and Grallaria obscura. In addition, after the first monitoring and analysis of presence and absence records, the total number of documented species reached a historic high of 84.
The advances demonstrate the agreement between the Huata farming community and the Andinus Association to carry out the work and conserve biodiversity in this crucial area. The project, funded by Conserva Aves, continues to develop, seeking to establish a conservation area that protects the environment and benefits the community. To this end, it promotes sustainable development and establishes the necessary alliances through the active collaboration of civil, community, public and private actors.
