A ‘global hotspot’ for wildlife diversity
The project is based on and around the unique Cordillera de Vilcabamba – a huge area of mountain and lowland forest in the Selva Central region of Peru. The Selva Central region is recognised as a ‘global hotspot’ for wildlife diversity, and is close to the headwaters of the Amazon river.

Forests in the Selva Central are increasingly threatened
Although still relatively intact, the forests in the Selva Central are increasingly threatened by logging, oil and mineral exploitation and land invasions by agriculturalists. The forests represent the frontier of the vast rainforests of the Amazon Basin, so their protection is urgent and essential.

The project is based within the Ashaninka Communal Reserve
Much of the project is based within the Ashaninka Communal Reserve, an area of 184,000 hectares, and the surrounding community territories based along the Ene and Tambo rivers – which together have a population of about 10,000 people.

The Rainforest Foundation, with our backing, will be working with 2 local partners to support the Ashaninka community: CARE (Centro Ashaninka di Rio Ene) and CART (Centro Ashaninka di Rio Tambo). They will also support ‘Eco Ashaninka’, the organisation that manages the Communal Reserve, made up from representatives from communities living around its edge.