In Peru's northernmost coastal strip, where the sea and land intertwine to give life to the country's most extensive and representative mangrove ecosystem, the Conserve Birds Initiative is making steady progress towards the creation of the Manglares de Los Tumpis Regional Conservation Area (RCA). This project, led by the Regional Government of Tumbes and with the technical support of the Consorcio Manglares del Noroeste del Peru (CONMANOPE), executor of the Administration Contract of the Los Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary, seeks to guarantee the protection of more than 4,800 hectares of mangrove ecosystems and adjacent areas under a participatory, scientific and sustainable management approach.
The creation of the RCA is part of the Conserve Birds Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean, implemented in Peru with the technical support of ECOAN and PROFONANPE, which aims to promote the creation of new conservation areas and strengthen local capacities for biodiversity management.
The Manglares de Los Tumpis RCA represents a historic opportunity for Tumbes; integrating areas of high biodiversity that still lack formal protection, reinforcing the conservation processes of the Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary, and guaranteeing the sustainability of the ecosystem services that sustain local life and economy.
Implementation of monitoring protocol for key birds of the mangrove ecosystem
One of the most significant advances during this period has been the implementation of the “Protocol for Monitoring the Relative Abundance of Key Birds of the Tumbes Mangrove Ecosystem”, a technical-scientific document that marks a before and after in the management of knowledge about the avifauna associated with this ecosystem. The protocol seeks to conserve key mangrove species through continuous and systematic monitoring that generates accurate information on their presence and abundance, a fundamental input for making management decisions, prioritizing conservation actions, and evaluating the health of the ecosystem.
The protocol focuses on monitoring 32 bird species, including Nearctic migratory species, endemic to northwestern Peru, and those threatened by habitat loss, which act as bioindicators of the environmental status of the mangrove.
Species monitored include the mangrove rail (Aramides axillaris), mangrove warbler (Setophaga petechia), black-necked stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) and mangrove hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus), among others.
Monitoring is done by traveling through different areas of the mangrove, on foot or by boat, following the tides and taking advantage of the early morning hours, when the birds are most active. The permanent monitoring sites include critical mangrove areas such as Estero La Tortuga, Estero La Culebra, Playa El Venado, Sendero Jeli, Isla de Los Pájaros (Puerto Pizarro), El Mulo sector, Río Tumbes, and Isla Palo Santo.
This protocol will allow us to obtain the necessary information so that the Tumbes mangrove can be recognized internationally as an Important Bird Area (IBA). This recognition will increase its ecological importance and highlight its role as a vital area for migratory birds of the Eastern Pacific.
In addition, this technical instrument lays the groundwork for the implementation of a participatory monitoring system that can be replicated in other coastal conservation areas of the country, promoting citizen science and co-responsibility in biodiversity management.
Biological monitoring training by ECOAN
Photo: CONMANOPE
Consultation with the aquaculture sector for the proposal of the RCA Manglares de Los Tumpis.
The second major milestone reached was the process of rapprochement and consultation with the shrimp sector companies, whose productive role and territorial presence within the proposed area make their participation a key component for the sustainability of the initiative. This process reflects a territorial governance model based on dialogue, transparency and environmental co-responsibility.
The Regional Government of Tumbes, through the Regional Management of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, together with the Consorcio Manglares del Noroeste del Peru, led a series of technical meetings and field visits between September and October 2025 with representatives and managers of the main companies in the aquaculture industry.
The central objective is to promote compatibility between aquaculture production activities and conservation objectives, integrating the principles of sustainability within the polygon of the proposed RCA “Manglares de Los Tumpis”, which covers an area of more than 4,800 hectares. This dialogue identified opportunities to implement the “Conservation-Production” model. The active participation of the private sector proposed to be part of the polygon of the future RCA has been fundamental to strengthen the social and technical legitimacy of the proposal, seeking a space of balance between environmental conservation and regional development.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Reporting by Emily Cassidy
Towards an integrated and participatory management model
The Conserve Birds in Tumbes Initiative continues to consolidate itself as a space for articulation between public institutions, local communities, scientists and the private sector, with a technical and participatory approach that guarantees the generation of knowledge, capacity building and co-responsibility in the conservation of Tumbes' natural heritage.
Each monitoring, workshop and consultation meeting represents another step towards the creation of the Manglares de Los Tumpis Regional Conservation Area, a process that reaffirms the commitment of the Regional Government of Tumbes and the Manglares del Noroeste del Perú Consortium to the integrated management of the mangrove ecosystem.
The ACR Manglares de Los Tumpis not only seeks to protect an ecosystem, but also to strengthen a management model where science, sustainable production and citizen participation converge to ensure the future of one of Peru's most valuable ecosystems.
