PERU

PERU
are generally 35–40 m in height. These forests
have been used intensively in the past, leaving large
expanses of secondary forest (purma) dominatedby stands of fast-growing, light-demanding pioneer
species.
There are about 11.2 million hectares of arid andsemi-arid forests on the coast and semi-humid
forests in mountain and inner-mountain valleys.a
Peru has about 5300 hectares of mangroves at
Tumbes, in the extreme north bordering Ecuador(Spalding et al. 2010).

Forest resources
Peru has a land area of 129 million hectares and an
estimated population in 2010 of 28 million people(United Nations Population Division 2010). It
is ranked 78th out of 182 countries in UNDP’s
Human Development Index (UNDP 2009).
Peru has three broad ecoregions: the desert coastal
region, which covers 13.6 million hectares; thesemi-arid Andean mountain range (sierra), which
covers 39.2 million hectares; and the Amazon
Basin, including the eastern humid slopes of
the Andes, covering 75.7 million hectares. FAO(2010a) estimated Peru’s forest cover at 67.9
million hectares, which is 53% of the total land
area; 92% of these forests are in the Amazon Basin.
Other estimates of forest area include 71.3 million
hectaresa and 72 million hectares (Government of
Peru 2010).
Forest types. The main forest type in Peru is humid
forest (rainforest) in the Amazon. It covers about
57 million hectares, with sub-types that dependon altitude and soils, particularly their position
in relation to rivers. Terrace and hill forests – onrolling terrain with moderate slopes – are the mostwidespread humid forest sub-type, covering about
37 million hectares. The alluvial forests, including
those on the lower river terraces, offer some of thebest potential for integrated forest management andagroforestry because of their vigorous growth, flat
terrain and good accessibility; their upper stories

Permanent forest estate. Under the 2000 Forest
Law (Ley 27308/2000), the forest is classified
into the following categories: production forests(permanent and in reserve); forests on protection
land; forests for future use (forest plantations,secondary forests and degraded forests forrestoration); natural protected areas; forests in
Indigenous and rural communities; and local
forests. Permanent production forests are intended
for timber and non-timber production and theconservation of forest resources, and an approved
forest management plan is required. As of 2010,33.3 million hectares of permanent production
forests had been classified within the PFE.a
However, only an area of 18.7 million hectares
has so far been allocated for production purposes(Kometter 2010), and this figure is used in Table
1 for the production PFE. The area of protection
forest is about 19.4 million hectares, including
forests designated in the national protected-areasystem, privately protected areas, and regional
protected areas (áreas de conservación regionales).a
About 15.4 million hectares of forests areunallocated. The total planted forest is estimatedat 820 000 hectaresa, nearly 600 000 hectares ofwhich are for timber and fuelwood production andthe remainder are for protection.a The map in Box
1 shows Peru's production forests.

Forest ecosystem healthDeforestation and forest degradation. The
estimated average annual rate of forest change
in Peru in the period 1990–2000 was 269 000
hectares, or 0.4%; between 2000 and 2010 it was
94 000 hectares (0.1%) (FAO 2010b). Directcauses of deforestation include the development

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STATUS OF TROPICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT 2011

Box 1 Permanent production forests, Peru

Amazon region; agricultural policies favouring
cash-crop development; development policies thatfavour energy generation; and new investment
opportunities due to globalization (ibid.). About
one-third of the forest estate is degraded or
secondary (Table 2).
Vulnerability of forests to climate change. Peru
is highly vulnerable to climate change, having
low-lying coastal areas; arid and semi-arid areas,
forested areas and areas liable to forest decay; areas
prone to natural disasters; areas liable to droughtand desertification; areas of high urban atmosphericpollution; areas with fragile ecosystems, including
mountainous ecosystems; and an economy thatis highly dependent on income generated fromthe production, processing, export and/or on
consumption of fossil fuels and associated energyintensive products.

Note:
Inserted as supplied, in original language.
Source: Government of Peru.

of new infrastructure such as highways (e.g.
carretera Iquitos–Nauta, the Brasil–Peru Interocean Highway and carretera Pucallpa–Lima);
new settlements in the Amazon Basin, including
the expansion of urban centres; the expansionof the agricultural frontier, including for cash
crops and shifting cultivation; the expansionof oil exploitation and hydro-electric schemes;
mining in the southern part of the Peruvian
Amazon; illegal logging; and the illicit cultivationof coca (Government of Peru 2010). Indirectcauses of deforestation include migration to thePeru has 70% of the world’s tropical glaciers, manyof which are retreating at a rapid rate (there has
been a decrease of 30% of glacial mass in 40 years;
Government of Peru 2008). A prolonged glacial
melt will exacerbate water shortages, mainly in thedrier areas of the country.
Peru is strongly affected by hydro-meteorologicalphenomena associated with el Niño. An estimated
72% of registered emergencies (e.g. droughts, heavy
rains, floods, frosts, hailstorms, avalanches andlandslides) are related to these phenomena, which
increased more than six-fold between 1997 and2006. Climate models project that el Niño will
intensify in coming decades.
According to the Government of Peru (2008), there
was a mean increase in temperature in the 20th
century of 0.31 °C and climate models projectthat there will be a minimum increase in mean
temperature of 2.6 °C in the next 50 years. Almost
the entire agricultural sector is suffering from

Table 1 Permanent forest estate
Reportingyear

Estimatedtotal forest
area, range(million ha)

Total closed
natural forest(’000 ha)

2005*
2010

65.2–86.4
67.9–72.0

64 20455 990**

*
**
‡
†

364

PFE (’000 hectares)
Production
Protection
NaturalPlantedTotal

24 60018 700‡41 15038 920200–300
820†

16 30019 400As reported in ITTO (2006).
Calculated using the ratio of forest with greater than 60% forest cover estimated by UNEP-WCMC (2010) (81%) and the total
natural forest area as estimated by FAO (2010).
Includes only state production forests for timber use.
Comprises 580 000 hectares of production plantation, 240 000 hectares of plantations for protective purposes.

PERU

Table 2 Forest condition
PFE

Non-PFE

Total’000 haArea of primary forest
Area of degraded primary forest
Area of secondary forest
Area of degraded forest land

30 3005600
1200-

10 4007100
4500-

40 70012 7005700-

Source: Derived from Government of Peru (2010).

increasing water stress due to melting glaciers andchanging precipitation patterns. The productivityof especially small-scale agricultural production
systems is under threat, particularly in mountainous
regions, jeopardizing the income of smallholder
families.
Through a supreme decree, the Government of
Peru recently established the National Commission
for Climate Change (Comisión Nacional de Cambio
Climático) led by the Ministry of Environment(Ministerio del Ambiente – MINAM) comprising
representatives of government agencies, NGOs
and the private sector. The 2003 Climate Change
National Strategy is being updated. Forests andtrees play an important role in Peru’s climatechange adaptation strategy. However, adaptationand mitigation strategies remain separate, and forest
activities are considered to deal with mitigation
rather than adaptation.

SFM policy framework
Forest tenure. Table 3 shows Peru’s forest area by
tenure. Forest lands are classified as public forests,
Indigenous forests or private forests. Communities
own an estimated 12.6 million hectares of thecountry’s forests (ITTO & RRI 2009), and nearly
1200 Indigenous communities possess land

rights in the Peruvian Amazon. However, there is
uncertainty over this ownership.a
Criteria and indicators. Peru has developed
standards for forest management. It has adopted
national C&I based on the Tarapoto Process, andconcession management plans are based on these.
The Government of Peru used the ITTO C&I in
its submission to ITTO for this report.a
Forest policy and legislation. The revised
national forest strategy prepared in 2002 wasofficially adopted by the Peruvian government inAugust 2004 (in Decreto Supremo 031-2004-AG)(ITTO 2006). It is implemented through theForestry and Wildlife Law (Ley Forestal y de Fauna
Silvestre – Ley 27308), which was adopted in
2000. The law prescribes several options for SFM
and reforestation, including 40-year concessions
for commercial timber, NTFPs, ecotourism andenvironmental services (Article 10); the sustainable
management of forests belonging to Indigenous
communities (Article 12); the sustainable
management of local forests by local governments
and rural populations (Decree 014/2001); and theestablishment of 40-year reforestation concessions(Article 28) (ITTO 2006).
As a consequence of the ratification of the UnitedStates–Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, in 2007

Table 3 Forest area, by tenure
Ownership category

Total
area*

Of which PFE Notes

State ownership (national, state orprovincial government)

54 500**’000 haOther public entities (e.g.
municipalities, villages)
Owned by local communities and/orIndigenous groups
Private owned by individuals, firms,
other corporate***

39 3002900
13 20013 2001950

1650

PFE: publicly administrated forests, including forest concessions
for timber and Brazil nut, state reforestation and protectedareas.aForests reserved for communities and Indigenous groups (ITTO& RRI 2009).
Tierras de comunidades indígenas (ITTO & RRI 2009).
Industrial owners and smallholders combined.a (ITTO & RRI
2009 gave a figure of 5.2 million hectares.)

Note that the total is in the range given in Table 1.
Includes 15.2 million hectares of forests that are not yet classified.

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STATUS OF TROPICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT 2011

the Government of Peru embarked on a process
to reform the forest policy and law as well as torestructure and decentralize the system of forest
administration and governance. This was done ona fast track through a series of supreme decrees,
including the issuance of a new forest law. However,
the outcome was highly controversial and led to a
prolonged period of (at times violent) protest by
civil society and Indigenous people. Ultimately it
led to the rescinding of the forest law and otherrelated decrees and to the formation of a nationalroundtable for dialogue and reconciliation.
The approval of transference of responsibilities
from the National Institute of Natural Resources(Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales –INRENA, the former forest service) to regional
governments for forest-sector administration andgovernance was enacted by Supreme Decree No
011-2007-AG. Decentralization focuses on four
key faculties: administration; control; monitoring;and promotion. The process of decentralizing
facilities to regional governments has been slow
and problematic, and the transfer of funding andresources is proving to be a major obstacle.
Based on the extended reform dialogue since2007, a process to completely review the forest law
and forest policy was launched in 2009 throughthe creation of a multi-stakeholder platform toadvance the reform process in a participative andtransparent way. The proposed new law emphasizes
issues relating to the governance of forest resources
and SFM and particularly refers to participatory
forest management and the need to apply theprinciple of free, prior and informed consent
to the management and conservation of forest
resources. The draft law proposes the creation of
the National Forest and Wildlife Service (Servicio
Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre – SERFOR)
under the Ministry of Agriculture as the national
forest authority. It further recognizes regional
governments as the regional forest authorities
following the prescriptions of Article 51 of theOrganic Law on Regional Governments (Ley
Orgánica de Gobiernos Regionales).
The National Forest Conservation Program for
Climate-Change Mitigation (Programa Nacionalde Conservación de Bosques para la Mitigación delCambio Climatico) was launched in July 2010
and is considered to be the country’s major forest
development plan. The project Conserving
Community Forests (Conservando Bosques

366

Comunitarios) is the Program’s first intervention,
aiming to generate direct financial transfers to
Indigenous communities that contribute to forest
conservation.
Institutions involved in forests. Restructuring
and decentralization processes are ongoing in
the administration of forests in Peru and there
have been rapid and sometimes chaotic changes(Kometter 2010). The first steps were taken in2007 with the dismantling of INRENA andthe redistribution of its forest administrationand governance functions to the Ministry ofAgriculture (Ministerio de Agricultura – MINAG),
the newly created MINAM, and the Agency for
the Supervision of Forest Resources and Wildlife(Organismo Supervisor de Recursos Forestales y delFauna Silvestre – OSINFOR). OSINFOR was
created in June 2008 under the Presidency of theCouncil of Ministers (Presidencia del Concejo de
Ministros) and oversees forest-related taxation,
the sustainable management of forest goods andservices and forest conservation. Within MINAG,a new General Directorate of Forests and Wildlife(Direccion General de Flora y Fauna Silvestre –DGFFS) was created in 2008. However, for mostof the period since its creation the DGFFS has
operated with a very limited budget and few staff.
In mid 2010, based on the proposals made in thedraft forest law, SERFOR was made operational
under MINAG, with particular functions in a new
system of decentralized forest management under
the regional authorities for forests and wildlife(Government of Peru 2010). The National Service
for Protected Areas (Servicio Nacional de Areas
Naturales Protegidas – SERNANP) under MINAM
manages the National System of Public Protected
Areas (Sistema Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas
por el Estado – SINANPE). MINAM is also
responsible for the development of REDD+ in Peru.
Indigenous peoples’ associations have an
increasing influence on the development of forest
policies in Peru. The Inter-ethnic Association for
Development of the Peruvian Jungle (Asociación
Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana) andthe National Institute for the Management ofAndean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian Settlements(Instituto Nacional de Desarrollo de Pueblos Andinos,
Amazónicos y Afroperuanos), which deals with theprotection of the interests and cultural heritagesof Indigenous peoples in Peru as well as territorialreform, are both strongly involved in forest issues.

PERU

Box 2 Active forest concessions by administrative region (December 2009)
RegionNumber of concessions

Total area (ha)Average area (ha)

48
250
85
34
171
588

284 3422 644 756
1 267 111
494 668
2 871 925
7 562 802

5923
10 57914 907
14 54916 79412 861

HuánucoLoretoMadre de Dios
San Martin
Ucayali
Total
Source: Based on Kometter (2010).

The National Strategic Planning Centre (Centro
Nacional de Planeamiento Estratégico) also plays arole on questions relating to forest-tenure allocationand forest use.
National development institutions such as the
Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (Instituto deInvestigación de la Amazonía Peruana) continue
to play important roles in the promotion of SFM
at the local level. National and internationalNGOs are very active in Peruvian forestry andare influential in the development of policy. For
example, WWF Peru, Foro Ecológico, Conservation
International Peru, ProNaturaleza (Fundación
Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza)
and Red Ambiental are important in driving forest
conservation and the forest concession reform
process. Various private-sector organizations arealso involved, the most active being the National
Forestry Chamber (Cámara Forestal Nacional),
the National Timber Corporation (Corporación
Nacional de la Madera del Perú) and regional forest
producer associations, in particular those of Madrede Dios and Ucayali. The University Agraria La
Molina has a strong forestry faculty that is actively
involved in SFM research and serves in an advisory
capacity to MINAG regarding CITES listings oftimber species.

Status of forest management
Forest for production
Details on the allocation of forest concessions in
Peru given in ITTO (2006) were still valid in 2010.
As of the end of 2009, 588 forest concessions had
been registered in the Huánuco, Loreto, Madrede Dios, San Martín and Ucayali regions of Peru
over a total area of 7.56 million hectares (Kometter
2010; Box 2). Five hundred forest concessions had
approved and valid contracts with government, 27
concession contracts were under review, contracts

had been annulled in 29 concessions, and 32
contracts were in the process of annulment. Of
all concessions (most of them established between
2002 and 2004), 85% had contracts at the
beginning of 2010 (Kometter 2010).
The average area per concession is quite small –12 900 hectares. Given their relatively small size,
their financial viability will depend in large measureon their ability to obtain good prices. Many are informerly selectively harvested areas such as the floodzone along Amazonian tributaries and constitute
what in some areas will be the third intervention
within the last 30–40 years (ITTO 2006). Sincemany primary species are no longer present in large
volumes, the concessions are increasingly harvesting
lesser-known species and intensifying their logging
operations.
In addition to forest concessions, there are
two other concession types that allow for the
exploitation of timber: Brazil nut concessions
and reforestation concessions. There are a total of983 Brazil nut concessions, all located in Madrede Dios, covering an area of 864 000 hectares(Kometter 2010). As of the end of 2009, 293
reforestation concessions covering 135 000 hectares
were registered in Peru, with most (245) located in
Madre de Dios over an area of 112 000 hectares.
The forest law still in force (Law 27308, 2000)
specifies forest audits every five years. The renewal
or suspension of concession agreements depends
absolutely on the results of such audits, which are
based on the application of a set of C&I for SFM
derived from ITTO and the Tarapoto Process(ITTO 2006). In addition, inspections are still
being carried out in forest concessions as partof the country’s CITES Appendix II mahogany
observation strategy (Kometter 2010).
Silviculture and species selection. The regulations
for concession agreements require the application of367

STATUS OF TROPICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT 2011detailed silvicultural prescriptions. Concessionaires
must apply a polycyclic management system witha minimum rotation of 20 years.a A minimum
diameter limit is determined for each species, andat least 10% of adult trees of each species must
be retained in each harvest area as seed trees.a
Liberation thinning, refinement and enrichment
planting are specified to help regenerate forests after
harvesting.
At least 100 species are used for timber, but about
25 meet 80% of the demand.a In the past, the mostimportant timber species harvested in the Peruvian
Amazon was Swietenia macrophylla (caoba). Whilestill an important species, caoba is no longer in the
top ten harvested species by volume. However, thefalsification of information concerning the illegal
cutting of caoba and other illegal practices havebeen reported: in 2008, for example, 32 concessions
covering an area of more than 400 000 hectares
were prosecuted for such offences.a
Peru and Bolivia are the largest exporters of caoba,
while Guazuma spp (bolaina) and Calycophyllum
spruceanum (capirona) are the most traded species
in the domestic market. Other important species
include Virola spp (cumala) Amburana cearensis(ishipingo), Dipteryx micrantha (shihuahuaco),
Hura crepitans (catahua) and Cariniana decandra(cachimbo). Table 4 shows the five most commonly
harvested species, ranked by average sawnwood
production for the period 1991–2008. The mostimportant fuelwood species are Prosopis pallida(algarrobo), Eucalyptus globulus (eucalipto),
Calycophyllum spruceanum (capirona), Acacia
macracantha (huarango) and Polylepis spp(queuña).a
Planted forest and trees outside the forest. Peru
has the third-largest area of forest plantations
in tropical America (820 000 hectares). Most
plantations are located outside the Amazon in

the Andes and the main species being planted
are Eucalyptus globulus, Polylepis spp and Alnus
acuminata. Many of these plantations are on
poor soils and have had only limited success.a
Reforestation was declared of national interest by
Supreme Decree 003-2005-AG (2005); a national
reforestation plan has been developed and is to belaunched shortly.
In the Amazon, a considerable number of long-term
reforestation and enrichment-planting trials ofnative species such as Cedrelinga catenaeformis(tornillo), Simarouba amara (marupa), Parkia
velutina (pashaco) and others in the Peruvian
Amazon (e.g. in Jenaro Herrera, Bosque Von
Humbolt and Tingo Maria) have been established,with good results (ITTO 2006). However, thesetrials have not yet been expanded to an operational
scale. Reforestation concessions have been created
to promote planted forests in the Amazon using
valuable species. Numerous such concessions
have been registered but, to date, the associatedregulations have not been put in place.
Forest certification. The Government of Peru
promotes voluntary forest management certification
as a tool for SFM.a Since 2004, a national working
group on forest certification coordinated by WWF
Peru has been working on the establishment of an
FSC-accredited system for voluntary certification.
According to Kometter (2010), a total areaof 713 380 hectares was certified as of early
2010, including 15 forest concessions covering
458 600 hectares and 16 community forest areas.a
Combined, three export-oriented forest enterprises(Aserradero Espinoza, Empresa Forestal Venao,
and A&A Perú) have 256 100 hectares of certified
forest. Twelve native communities have a group
certificate over a total area of 150 700 hectares(ibid.). The certified area has increased more thantenfold since 2005.

Table 4 Commonly harvested species for industrial roundwood
Species

Notes*

Eucalyptus globulus (eucalipto)
Virola spp (cumala)**Cedrelinga catenaeformis (tornillo)**
Chorisia intregrifolia (lupuna)Cedrela odorata (cedro)**258 000 m3; from planted forests in Andean valleys.
218 000 m3; from low-lying and low hill Amazon forests.
173 300 m3; from low hill Amazon forests.
147 100 m3; from terrace and low hill Amazon forests.
127 000 m3; from inundated and low hill Amazon forests.

*
Volumes are average sawnwood production for the period 1991–2008.
**
Also listed in ITTO (2006).
Source: Kometter (2010).

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PERU

Estimate of the area of forest sustainably
managed for production. Since 2005, regulated
concession management in the Peruvian Amazon
has been launched. All active concessions musthave a forest management plan and are closely
monitored. Nevertheless, it is too early to assess theeffect of this new system on SFM. Table 5 showsthe estimated sustainably managed production
forest in Peru comprising the FSC-certified forest
area and the 890 000 hectares under Brazil nut
concession (Kometter 2010).
Timber production and trade. There has been asteady increase in log production in Peru in recent
years, from 1.29 million m3 in 2003 to 2.37 million
m3 in 2009 (ITTO 2010). Sawnwood production
in 2009 was 1.12 million m3, more than doublethat in 2003. The export of logs is not permitted
but about 40% (480 000 m3) of sawnwood
production is exported (ibid.). The maximum
sustainable harvest under a 40-year polycyclic
system is estimated to be in the range 25–40 m3
per hectare (ITTO 2006); current off-take would
appear to be well below that. There are about
250 sawmills in Peru, most of which have a small
installed capacity (averaging 2900 m3 per year).
Only about 25% of sawmills have band-saws anda capacity of 10 000 m3 per year or more (ibid.).
The export value of timber products increased from
US$66 million in 2000 to US$191 million in 2008
(WWF Peru 2009).
Non-timber forest products. The use of NTFPs is
widespread in Peru. Over 130 products have been
identified in the Amazon for local consumption
and national and international trade. Tara (obtained
from Caesalpinia spinosa) is the basis of a growing
industry in Peru. It is an excellent source ofenvironmentally friendly tannins (tara tannins). It
is used as a hydrocolloid thickener and gelling agent
and has application in frozen desserts, instant soups,
cream cheese, baked goods and other products.

Logs at the Port of Pucallpa, Peru.

Brazil nut is another important NTFP produced
for export in Amazon forests, with an annual
production of more than 1 million kg. Extractsof Lonchocarpus nicou (barbasco) are exported as avegetative insecticide.
The production of palm hearts (palmito, 200 000
kg per year) is also important. Medicinal plants,
such as cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa – uña de gato,
500 000 kg per year), and sangre de grado (Croton
lechleri), are increasingly popular.a
Forest carbon. Gibbs et al. (2007) estimatedthe forest biomass carbon stock in the range
7690–11 520 MtC and FAO (2010a) estimatedit at 8560 MtC. Land use, land-use change andforestry contribute about 60% (110 000 gigagramsof CO2e) of Peru’s annual GHG emissions.
MINAM is responsible for REDD+ andcoordinates the National Commission on Climate
Change. A multi-stakeholder REDD Group (Mesa
REDD) was formed in 2008 to support MINAM
in the further development of REDD+ in Peru
(Government of Peru 2010).

Table 5 Management of the production PFE (’000 hectares)
Reporting
year

Total

2005*
2010

24 60018 700*****‡NaturalAvailable forWith
harvesting management
plans
8000
5000
8431
7563‡

Certified Sustainably
managed
59
713

560
1603

PlantedWith
Certifiedmanagementplans
200–300
8
0
Total

820

-

0

As reported in ITTO (2006).
Potential timber concession areas as classified by law (Government of Peru 2010).
Only timber concessions (unidades de manejo forestal and community concessions) valid as of end 2009 counted here.

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STATUS OF TROPICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT 2011

Peru is a participant in the Forest Carbon
Partnership Facility, and its REDD readinesspreparation proposal was approved in March 2011.
Peru is a recipient country of the Forest Investment
Program, and it benefits from bilateral support
programs in REDD+ in the Amazon region.
Several REDD+ pilot projects are under way inthe country’s forested regions. The proportion of
intact forests with crown cover greater than 60%
is high (81% of the total forest area). There is also
considerable potential to enhance carbon stocks
through forest restoration and reforestation in
deforested landscapes. Table 6 summarizes Peru’s
forest carbon potential.

Forest for protection
Soil and water. Soil and watershed conservation
are of considerable importance in Peru, particularlyin the Andes. The National Program for theManagement of Water Catchments and Soil
Conservation (Programa Nacional de Manejo deCuencas Hídrograficas y de Conservación de Suelos),which is implemented by Agrorural, is conducting
the country’s most extensive forestry program withthe aim of applying participatory approaches tosoil and water conservation based on reforestation.
In 2008, a legislative decree (Decree 1081) was
enacted to create the National System for Water
Resources (Sistema Nacional de Recursos Hídricos),which emphasizes the protection and restoration ofwatersheds. A total of 389 000 hectares of forest isclassified as exclusively for soil and water protection.
In addition, in 2007 an area of about 367 000
hectares was reforested for the single purpose ofprotecting destabilized watersheds.a
Biological diversity. Peru has a great range of
geographical conditions and is very biodiverse.
It contains 10% of the global total of flowering
plant species (40 000–50 000 plant species),
462 mammals, 1816 birds, 360 reptiles, 332
amphibians, 2000 sea fish and 797 freshwater fish
(ITTO 2006). Thirty-seven mammals, 61 birds,

77 amphibians, two reptiles and seven plants
found in forests are listed as critically endangered,endangered or vulnerable on the IUCN red list of
threatened species (IUCN 2011). Eight plants arelisted in CITES Appendix I, 363, including caoba,
are listed in Appendix II, and three (including
cedro) are listed in Appendix III (UNEP-WCMC
2011).
Protective measures in production forests.
Management-plan prescriptions for forest
concessions give clear and detailed instructions
on leaving protection strips along streams, andthey specify species to be protected and refer towildlife protection in concession areas. There arealso prescriptions for reduced impact logging andrelated measures.a Tree species that are officiallyexcluded from commercial harvesting are palo deora, romerillo, cedro de altura and nogal.a
Extent of protected areas. In 2001, new naturalprotected areas were defined and existing protectedareas were reclassified. The well-developed andrelatively well-funded system of protected areas,
SINANPE, now contains 61 protected areas
covering an area of 18.5 million hectares, or 15%of the country. Protected areas include nationalparks, national reserves, national sanctuaries andother zones (Box 3). SINANPE is complemented
by regional conservation areas (areas de conservación
regionales – ACRs). Recently there has been a moveto encourage the creation of ACRs by regional
governments: Presidential Resolution 205-2010SERNANP (dated 26 October 2010) is designed
to stimulate the creation of ACRs through regional
governments that are also financing such areas.
Three ACRs have been created: Choquequirao,
Bosque de Puya Raimondi-Titankayocc andAmpiyacu–Apayacu.
A large part of the protected-area network is heavily
forested. An estimated 13.7 million hectares offorested land are classified under IUCN protectedarea categories I–IV.a Many protected areas are

Table 6 Forest carbon potential
Biomass
forestcarbon(MtC)
7690–11 520% forest Deforestation/ Enhancement Forest areawithdegradationof carbonchangecanopypotential tosink capacity monitoringcover >60%
2030
to 2030
capacity
81

+++

++

++

Forest/GHG
inventory
capacity+

Importance Engagementof forestin
fire/international
biomassREDD+
burning
processes++++++++ high; ++ medium; + low; estimate of national forest carbon based on Gibbs et al. (2007); estimate of % total forest with canopy cover>60% based on UNEP-WCMC (2010).

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PERU

Estimate of the area of forest sustainably
managed for protection. Large areas of theprotection PFE are under no imminent threat
due to their remoteness but are not counted here
as under SFM. A total area of about 11.6 million
hectares of protected area is clearly defined and iscovered by some sort of management planning.a
The area of protection PFE managed sustainably isestimated at 1.88 million hectares (Table 7). This
includes the core water protection forests of about
60 000 hectares and the totally protected portionof the Peruvian part of the transboundary protectedareas of Tambopata (1.09 million hectares) and El
Condor (253 000 hectares), both of which havebeen supported by ITTO and other international
donors, plus the areas under conservation andecotourism concessions.

Box 3 Categories of protected areas
Category
National parks
National reserves
National sanctuaries
Historical sanctuaries
Landscape reserves
Protection forests
Communal reserves
Reserved zones
Hunting reserves
Wildlife refuges
Small islands
Total SINANPE
Regional conservation
areas
Private conservation
areas
TOTAL

NumberArea (ha)

12
13
9
4
2
6
8
9
2
2
67
5

7 967 119
3 719 347
317 366
41 279711 818389 987
1 777 466
3 396 364
124 735
8 591
140 833
18 594 909
695 22720

124 99192

19 415 127

Socioeconomic aspects

Source: Kometter (2010).

Economic aspects. The contribution of the forest
sector to GDP is about 1.02% of a total GDP of
US$1.03 trillion.a An estimated 250 000 jobs are
generated directly by forestry activities, over 50%of them in the Peruvian Amazon (ITTO 2006).
The forest industry, including many small andmedium-sized enterprises, are mostly located in
Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Cuzco, Iquitos, Pucallpa
and Tarapoto and employ more than 82 000 people(ibid.). The contribution of forestry, however, is
not only made through direct employment but also
through the provision of a wide range of goods for
consumption, handicrafts and small commerce.
Fuelwood collection is still the main extractive useof the country’s forests, in particular in forest-poor
mountain areas. Small-scale logging is important
both economically and socially in the Amazon, andnearly all forest areas close to the main rivers havebeen heavily harvested.

under pressure, however, including from conversion
to other land uses (particularly shifting cultivation
but also monoculture agriculture and illegal crops
such as coca), small-scale and large-scale timbertheft, illegal mining, oil and gas exploration, andillegal hunting and fishing.
In 2001 INRENA granted an area of 135 832
hectares as a ‘conservation concession’ for a periodof 40 years to a private association (the Amazon
Watershed Conservation Association – Asociaciónpara la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica). In
2010 a total of 423 000 hectares were under suchconcessions and another 55 000 hectares were
under ecotourism concessions. These areas are notcounted as part of the protected-area network. In
such concessions, protection activities, ecotourism
and the sustainable use of NTFPs may be carriedout, but not logging. It is expected that moreconcessions will be granted in the future for NTFPs
and conservation.

Livelihood values. Many NTFPs are used andtraded locally, such as fruits and vegetables likeaguaje (Mauritia flexuosa), camu-camu and palmito,
local bamboo (Guadua angustifolia), palms andTable 7 Management of the protection PFE (’000 hectares)***

Reportingyear

Protection PFE

Forests attributed
to IUCN categories
I–IV

Allocated for soil
and waterWith management
plans

Sustainably
managed

2005*
2010

16 30019 4003130
3404**

390
389

11 6001540
1880

As reported in ITTO (2006).
According to UNEP-WCMC (2010).

371

STATUS OF TROPICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT 2011

fibres. Wildlife, particularly fish, is an importantsource of protein throughout the Amazon.
Social relations. The Peruvian Amazon remains
a frontier for settlers from other parts of Peru,
many of whom engage in small-scale agriculture
and the gathering of forest products, often illegally.
Poaching, the illegal harvesting of valuable timber
species and illegal mining are all widespread.a
Narcotic crops, particularly coca, are planted byshifting cultivators in fields and small openings
in the forests. The social impacts of the newconcession system are unknown. Logging byoutsiders of Indigenous and community lands cancause intra-community conflicts, including over the
distribution of payments.
More than 1354 Indigenous communities(comunidades nativas) are known to make theirliving in the Peruvian Amazon, occupying about
14.95 million hectares or 17% of the total area of
the Peruvian Amazon. Their livelihoods are closelyinterlinked with forests. An estimated 13.5 million
hectares of potentially productive forests are in areas
claimed by Indigenous peoples and about 1.75
million hectares are situated within Indigenous
reserves. About 100 timber licences are located in
the immediate vicinity of Indigenous territories(G. de Freitas, pers. comm., 2009). While newforms of collaboration and benefit-sharing arebeing established between concession-holders andlocal people, the new situation is also prone tomisunderstanding and conflict. Although REDD+
is developing rapidly in Peru, many local andIndigenous people see it as a threat. Considerable
efforts are needed to clarify REDD+ and related
forest issues with local stakeholders.

Summary
The forest sector of Peru has been undergoing
rapid change. After signing the Trade Promotion
Agreement with the United States in 2007, theGovernment of Peru embarked on a new process
to reform the forest policy and law as well as
to restructure and decentralize the system offorest administration and governance. This wasdone on a fast track through a series of supreme
decrees, including the issuance of a new forest law,decentralization efforts and new central institutions.
However, the outcome was highly controversial andled to a prolonged period of protest by civil society
and Indigenous peoples. Nevertheless, Peru has

372

taken significant steps towards integrating the forest
sector into the broader macroeconomic objectivesof sustainable development and has put in placea system of control that allows further progress in
SFM. An independent forest-control mechanism
has been established and a broad coalition of
stakeholders from the public and private sectors
and civil society works together to develop theforest agenda. The Government of Peru is engaged
in the development of REDD+ with a nested
approach and in a broad stakeholder dialogue todevelop REDD+ as a major instrument for forestbased development in the Amazon. Peru still facessome major challenges in enforcing and applying
regulations and planning instruments in the
country’s vast Amazon forests and in guaranteeing
the rights of Indigenous and local people.

Key points•

Peru has an estimated PFE of 38.9 million
hectares (compared with 41.1 million hectares
in 2005), comprising 18.7 million hectares ofnatural production forest (compared with 24.6
million hectares in 2005), 19.4 million hectaresof protection forest (compared with 16.3
million hectares in 2005) and 820 000 hectaresof planted forest (compared with 200–300 000
hectares in 2005).

•

An estimated 1.60 million hectares of the
production PFE is under SFM. About 713 000
hectares of natural production forest is certified(compared with 59 000 hectares in 2005). An
estimated 1.88 million hectares of protection
PFE is under SFM. Large areas of the protection
PFE, even if not formally under SFM, are under
no imminent threat due to their remoteness.

•

The rate of deforestation has declined. The
country has an ambitious plan to reduce
deforestation to zero by 2020 and has put inplace programs (e.g. the National Forest
Conservation Program) for this purpose.

•

A broad consultation process on the preparationof a new forest law and policy is under way andnew institutions have been created to manage
forests on the principles of SFM.

•

Despite the difficult macro-economic situation
for the timber trade, Peru has increased its
exports of hardwood timber and further
developed its domestic timber industry.

PERU

Nevertheless, most exports are in the form ofsawnwood and there has been only limited
development of further-processing in Peru.
•

There is considerable potential for REDD+ in
Peru. However, many local and Indigenous
people see it as a threat, and considerable efforts
are needed to clarify REDD+ and related forest
issues with local stakeholders.

EndnoteaGovernment of Peru (2009).

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forestcarbonpartnership.org/fcp/node/257).

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