Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager (Cnemathraupis aureodorsalis)
Photographs: Islas de Paz
In this second round, the Conserva Aves initiative will focus on protecting 239,786 hectares distributed across six Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Loreto, Amazonas, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Junín, and Huánuco. The selected projects prioritize the protection of endemic, migratory, and endangered birds in areas that align with Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites.
Efforts to conserve biodiversity are anchored in community engagement. Each proposal integrates local governance, environmental education, and sustainable livelihoods, with a special emphasis on female leadership. Consequently, three of the six projects will receive funding from the Equity Fund, highlighting the pivotal role of women in territory management and conservation.
The organizations selected to implement the Conserva Aves Initiative in Peru are:
- Conservación e Investigación Ambiental (CIAM): A Peruvian non-profit organization founded in 2024, working for biodiversity and community well-being. Its work integrates culture, science, and education to promote sustainable development from the territories, respecting communal rights and driving territorial management and climate action initiatives.
- Selected Project: “Conservation and Communal Participatory Action for the Recognition of the Nevado de Tunsho Private Conservation Area (PCA)”
- Funding Amount: S/ 350,000.00
- Location: Junín
- KBA: Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve
- Expected Hectares: 5,849.24 ha
The project aims to strengthen communal conservation with a gender and intercultural approach through biological monitoring of birds, local capacity building, financial sustainability linked to traditional livelihoods, and equitable governance. It will protect emblematic species such as the White-bellied Cinclodes (Cinclodes palliatus) (CR) and the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) (VU), promoting a replicable biocultural conservation model in the Andes.
- Asociación Nacional de Ejecutores de Contratos de Administración de las Reservas Comunales del Perú (ANECAP): Established in 2017 in Puerto Maldonado, it is the national representative indigenous organization for Peru’s Communal Reserves. Its objective is to support and coordinate the management of the Contract Administration Executors (ECA), strengthening the administration of communal reserves and ensuring compliance with administration contracts under the Special Regime.
- Selected Project: “Strengthening the Involvement of Women in the Process of Establishing the Bajo Putumayo Yaguas Communal Reserve”
- Funding Amount: S/ 180,000.00
- Location: Loreto
- KBA: Yaguas National Park
- Expected Hectares: 160,575.89 (ha)
The project seeks to consolidate and institutionalize the management of the future Bajo Putumayo Communal Reserve, promoting co-management between SERNANP and native communities under the communal reserve administration model. It also strengthens ANECAP’s role as a national coordinator for the Contract Administration Executors, with an emphasis on conservation and sustainable territory management.
- Asociación Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (APECO): Founded in 1982, this non-profit organization promotes biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Peru. Its work focuses on strengthening local and regional capacities for the management of national, regional, and communal protected areas, as well as promoting environmental education, research, sustainable resource use, and biodiversity monitoring.
- Selected Project: “Palm Swamps Private Conservation Area of the Candungos Native Community”
- Funding Amount: S/ 199,285.00
- Location: Amazonas
- KBA: Cordillera del Cóndor
- Expected Hectares: 7,866.28 (ha)
The project aims to conserve palm swamps (aguajales) and flooded forests, recover traditional knowledge of the Wampis people, strengthen community governance and vigilance, revalue the role of women, and create an ecological corridor between Ichigkat Muja National Park and the Santiago Comaina Reserved Zone.
- Yunkawasi: Founded in 2007, it is a Peruvian non-profit civil association working for sustainable development and biodiversity conservation. Its mission is to promote inclusive territory management, valuing nature’s benefits and defending natural and cultural heritage for the communities’ benefit.
- Selected Project: “Participatory Conservation of the Tropical Andes in the Ayacucho Department – Peru: Mayunmarca Cloud Forests Regional Conservation Area (RCA)”
- Funding Amount: S/ 349,830.00
- Location: Ayacucho
- KBA: Puyu Sacha
- Expected Hectares: 51,283.3 (ha)
The project seeks to strengthen the establishment process of the Mayunmarca Cloud Forests RCA, protecting 51,274.15 ha in Ayacucho, with an emphasis on endemic and threatened birds, community participation, and a gender and intercultural approach.
- Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional (NCI): The organization works in partnership with local communities in Latin America to conserve biologically diverse landscapes. With a presence in five countries, it has protected over 10 million hectares and supported the creation of long-term protected areas. In Peru, where it celebrated 20 years of work in 2024, it has contributed to the establishment of 65% of the Regional Conservation Areas, reaffirming its commitment to nature and communities.
- Selected Project: “Establishment of the Huamantanga and Chorro Blanco Montane Forests Regional Conservation Area to Increase Ecosystem Connectivity in the Northern Andes Conservation Corridor.”
- Funding Amount: S/ 334,320.00
- Location: Cajamarca
- KBA: Northern Andes
- Expected Hectares: 14,016.48 (ha)
The project aims to achieve the area’s official recognition, strengthen its governance and financial sustainability, implement a monitoring plan for threatened birds, and enhance local capacities in conservation, leadership, gender, and inclusion. This zone is strategic for maintaining the connectivity of the Northern Andes Conservation Corridor (NACC).
- Islas de Paz: Founded in 2015 in Huánuco, it is a rural development NGO promoting agroecology, sustainable family farming, and sanitation systems to improve the quality of life for rural families.
- Selected Project: “Expansion of the Unchog PCA for the Protection of Endemic and Threatened Birds in the Carpish Mountain Range”
- Funding Amount: S/ 318,895.00
- Location: Huánuco
- KBA: Carpish
- Expected Hectares: 195.54 (ha)
The project aims to protect endemic birds, strengthen communal governance, implement participatory monitoring, promote ecotourism, and develop management and financial sustainability plans with a focus on gender, interculturality, and communal conservation.
Over the next 18 months, these organizations will implement key actions for the establishment of three Private Conservation Areas (PCAs), two Regional Conservation Areas (RCAs), and one Communal Reserve. Objectives include the development of Master Plans, Financial Sustainability Plans, biological monitoring of birds, and the strengthening of local capacities.
The accompaniment by Profonanpe and ECOAN, leading partners in Peru, will be essential to ensure these objectives are met. They will manage and implement the projects, provide capacity building, and offer technical assistance. Through this joint effort, it will be possible to protect species such as the Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager (Cnemathraupis aureodorsalis), the Bay-vented Cotinga (Doliornis sclateri), or the Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori), while simultaneously fostering the well-being of entire communities through female empowerment.
The Conserva Aves Initiative is led by American Bird Conservancy (ABC), National Audubon Society (Audubon), Bird Life International, Birds Canada, and the Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Funds Network (RedLAC). The national partners are Profonanpe and ECOAN, leaders of the execution in Peru, with funding provided by the Government of Canada.
Contact
Odilie Sanchez
Conserva Aves Project Manager – Profonanpe
osanchez@profonanpe.org.pe
Rosa Gordillo
Conserva Aves Project Technical Specialist – Profonanpe
rgordillo@profonanpe.org.pe
