Securing a Critical Wildlife Corridor in the Cordillera Escalera, Peru

Securing a Critical Wildlife Corridor in the Cordillera Escalera, Peruvian Amazon

The problem this project seeks to address is a critical conservation gap threatening the survival of endangered wildlife in northern Peru. The valley connecting the two mountain ranges within the Cordillera Escalera Regional Conservation Area (ACR-CE) was excluded from official protection in 2005 due to the presence of approximately 170 cattle-ranching families. As a result, this unprotected stretch now fragments habitat and exposes species such as jaguar, Andean bear, and lowland tapir to poaching, habitat loss, and increasing human-wildlife conflict.

The forest landscape where this project operates faces escalating and interconnected threats that are driving biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Illegal logging is often followed by the deliberate use of fire and herbicides to convert forest into cattle pasture and agricultural land. Invasive African pasture grasses rapidly colonize cleared areas, outcompeting native vegetation, increasing fire risk, and preventing natural forest regeneration. These activities fragment habitats, sever critical wildlife movement corridors, and degrade soils, leading to increased erosion and reduced long-term ecosystem productivity.

Illegal hunting further threatens wildlife populations, placing additional pressure on vulnerable species and disrupting fragile ecological processes.

Together, these threats undermine the ecological integrity of a critical Amazonian landscape and weaken its ability to support biodiversity, climate regulation, watershed protection, and local livelihoods. As deforestation expands into previously intact areas, the loss of forest connectivity and ecosystem function accelerates, making timely, coordinated, and sustained conservation action essential to prevent further irreversible degradation.

To address these threats, Amazon Rainforest Conservancy (ARC) and Amazon Rainforest Conservancy Northern Peru (ARCNP) launched a wildlife corridor project to acquire reforest and protect land in the valley. Camera trap data confirms the area’s importance for wildlife movement, but risks remain high without formal protection. The long-term result is to connect both mountain ridges of the Cordillera Escalera through a protected, contiguous wildlife corridor and to maintain it in perpetuity. This vision includes a deep community involvement by creating sustainable income for the current generation of local landowners and providing new conservation-based opportunities for the next generation.

Our strategy is built around three key pillars:

1. Strategic Land Acquisition: Securing key parcels that connect existing protected areas, reduce fragmentation, and safeguard vulnerable ecosystems and species at risk.

2. Habitat Restoration and Management: Restoring degraded lands using native species, preventing further deforestation and hunting, and implementing site-specific management plans that support biodiversity recovery and long-term forest regeneration.

3. Community-Led Stewardship and Regional Collaboration: Working alongside local communities, landowners, and regional authorities to promote sustainable land use practices and integrate conservation efforts across property boundaries.

Supporting the Local Community

Our project actively centers the perspectives, participation, and rights of women through concrete and enforceable practices embedded within our land acquisition and wildlife corridor expansion process. When purchasing farms within the corridor area, we require that both partners in a household are included in the decision-making process. Even when Peruvian law does not require it, we insist that wives or partners participate directly in negotiations and formally sign all transactions before a notary. Payments are issued jointly, with cheques written in the names of both partners.

This approach ensures that women are recognized as equal decision-makers, safeguards their economic rights, and helps prevent exclusion from long-term outcomes related to land ownership and conservation agreements. By integrating gender equity directly into our legal and financial processes, we move beyond consultation toward shared authority and meaningful inclusion in project implementation and governance.

Since 2022, ARCNP has built strong local support for the project through ongoing collaboration with community members in forest monitoring, stewardship, and threat reporting. ARCNP’s Forest Guardians work alongside residents during regular communal workdays to maintain public pathways, coordinate fire response efforts, and support emergency evacuation planning. The organization also provides emergency equipment and antivenom for community use, helping strengthen local safety and resilience during forest-related emergencies.

Importantly, three of ARCNP’s five Forest Guardians are residents of El Progreso, and we regularly hire local community members to assist with transportation of supplies, construction activities, and reforestation efforts. This demonstrates meaningful local participation and strong community investment in the project’s success.

ARCNP also supports local education initiatives by providing natural mats and wooden learning materials to the local kindergarten and sponsoring access to the Duolingo app for families interested in learning English.