Assessment of Conditions for Biodiversity and Fragile Ecosystems Conservation and Management in Peru

The threats to reduced biological diversity are grouped in two categories: policy threats and site specific threats to diverse biologically-rich ecosystems. Divided environmental authority, misconception of the value of conserving biodiversity and forests, inadequate legal norms, lack of participation of the local population in the management of protected areas, unsustainable land and resource use, uncontrolled mining and hydrocarbon exploration in protected areas, uncontrolled tourism expansion, and deforestation all contribute to loss of biological diversity. The most appropriate response to these threats is one that addresses improvements in the management of biological diversity and forests, combined with efforts to generate economic alternatives for local communities living in and around threatened ecosystems. July 1998 Task Order No. 819 Contract No. PCE-I-00-96-00002-00 LAC - 118/119 Report - Peru