A MIDA case study on Manu National Park in Peru, where Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage designations protect the biodiversity generated by extreme altitudinal gradients alongside the ancestral knowledge of Indigenous communities.
Description
Peru established Manu National Park in 1973 and, following an extension in 2009, it now spans 1,700,000 hectares ranging from 150 to 4,200 metres in altitude. Approximately 228 mammal species, 1,030 birds and 4,212 plants are recorded, with jaguars, giant otters and giant armadillos in the lowland forests and more than 850 bird species in the canopy. Recognised as a Biosphere Reserve in 1977, the reserve now covers 2,300,000 hectares after the addition of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve and buffer zones, and is governed by Peru's National Park Authority (SERNANP), which integrates local Indigenous communities in management. Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987 and extended in 2009, the park uses a zoning system that combines strictly protected forest cores with cultural, recreational and sustainable use areas. Through the Amazon Biosphere Reserve Project, local producers and farmers receive support to brand and market products at regional fairs, while bamboo cultivation, ecological restoration and technical support for tilapia and trout farming strengthen climate-adapted livelihoods.
