Restoring Andean Forests for a Future Protected Area

Across the tropical Andes of Peru, Indigenous Quechua Chanka communities are restoring high-elevation forests that sustain water, biodiversity, and local livelihoods. Their work is taking place within the proposed Mayunmarca Subnational Conservation Area, a landscape of more than 45,226 hectares (111,770 acres) that recently advanced to the final stage of Peru’s protected area establishment process.

Restoring Forests That Hold Water

This year, community members from Belén Chapi, Santo Domingo de Huecchues, and Unión Libertad de Rumichaca joined local authorities and conservation partners to plant approximately 3,000 native Polylepis trees across degraded high-Andean ecosystems.

Known locally as queñuales, these forests are among the most important ecosystems for water regulation in the tropical Andes. Their roots help retain moisture, stabilize soils, and gradually release water throughout the year.

The ecosystems protected within the proposed conservation area provide water for an estimated 16,223 people, supporting agriculture, livestock, and daily life across the region. Restoring native forests helps strengthen these natural processes while improving ecosystem resilience for future generations.

The proposed Mayunmarca Subnational Conservation Area protects ecosystems that sustain water, biodiversity, and local livelihoods.

Biodiversity Found Nowhere Else

Polylepis forests also provide habitat for wildlife uniquely adapted to high-Andean environments. Many species depend on these fragmented forest patches for food, shelter, and reproduction.

Among them is the Ayacucho Thistletail (Asthenes ayacuchensis), an endemic bird found only in a small portion of Peru’s tropical Andes. Protecting and reconnecting native vegetation helps maintain the ecological conditions that allow species like this to persist.

Mayunmarca’s cloud forests, grasslands, wetlands, and high-Andean ecosystems support remarkable biodiversity, including hundreds of bird species and numerous endemic plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth.

Ayacucho Thistletail (Asthenes ayacuchensis) ©David F. Belmonte

A Future Protected Area Takes Root

While restoration is creating immediate environmental benefits, it is also helping build the foundations of long-term conservation.

In May 2026, Peru’s Ministry of Environment, through its protected areas authority, granted conformity for the proposed Mayunmarca Subnational Conservation Area to advance to its third and final stage. This phase focuses on strengthening dialogue and formalizing final agreements with local communities regarding the future management and zoning of the area.

Once completed, this process could lead to the formal establishment of one of Peru’s newest subnational conservation areas, protecting one of the most important landscapes between the Andes and the Amazon.

DATA BOX

3,000 native Polylepis trees planted.
45,226 hectares (111,770 acres) proposed for protection.
16,223 people benefit from water generated by these ecosystems.
250+ bird species recorded through recent biodiversity assessments.
12 endemic bird species documented within the landscape.

Conservation Powered by Communities

The proposed Mayunmarca Subnational Conservation Area is not being built only through technical files or legal steps. It is being built through community meetings, restoration days, local leadership, and the commitment of people who know that protecting forests also means protecting water, livelihoods, and future generations.

For Yunkawasi, conservation is not only about protecting species and ecosystems. It is about helping communities become long-term stewards of the landscapes that sustain their culture, economy, and wellbeing.

The communities planting native trees today are doing more than restoring a degraded ecosystem. They are helping demonstrate that this landscape is ready for long-term protection, and that local people are ready to lead.

Community members restore degraded high-Andean ecosystems by planting native Polylepis trees.

Conservation Powered by Partnerships

This work is made possible through collaboration among Quechua Chanka communities, the Regional Government of Ayacucho, local authorities, and Yunkawasi.

Support from Andes Amazon Fund, the Conserva Aves Initiative, and Bat Conservation International is helping accelerate ecological restoration and strengthen the path toward long-term conservation mechanisms in Mayunmarca.

Quechua Chanka community members help restore Andean forests and protect the water sources their communities depend on.

But restoration and protected area establishment require sustained support.

Behind every tree planted, every community agreement, and every step toward formal protection, there is patient work: technical assistance, field coordination, community dialogue, monitoring, and trust-building.

Your support helps Yunkawasi continue this work.

By supporting Yunkawasi, you help Indigenous communities restore native forests, protect water sources, and secure a future protected area in Peru’s Tropical Andes.

Help restore Andean forests and protect the watersheds, wildlife, and communities that depend on them.

Support community-led restoration and long-term conservation in Peru’s Tropical Andes.

Help Build a Future Protected Area

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Conservación para la gente

Restoring Andean Forests for a Future Protected Area

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Restoring Forests That Hold Water

Biodiversity Found Nowhere Else

A Future Protected Area Takes Root

DATA BOX

Conservation Powered by Communities

Conservation Powered by Partnerships

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© 2022 Yunkawasi

Conservación para la gente

Restoring Andean Forests for a Future Protected Area

Compartir en

Restoring Forests That Hold Water

Biodiversity Found Nowhere Else

A Future Protected Area Takes Root

DATA BOX

Conservation Powered by Communities

Conservation Powered by Partnerships

Comparte esto:

Me gusta:

Conservation Became a Collective Movement for the Yellow-Tailed Woolly Monkey

Restoring Andean Forests for a Future Protected Area

Birds, Communities and Conservation: Global Big Day in a Future Protected Area

Conservación para la gente

© 2022 Yunkawasi