Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo (100129)
Peru, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1e, B1, B2

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo

Central coordinates: Latitude: -5.7420, Longitude: -77.5700

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 900 to 4000

Area of KBA (km²): 2865.47155

Protected area coverage (%): 63.44

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: No

Site details

Site description: The KBA Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo covers an area of 2865.47 sq km and is located mainly in San Martín (Moyobamba, Rioja and Datem del Marañón provinces) and a little portion in Loreto and Amazonas departments. This KBA follows the limits of the National Protected Area Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo. The site is an important protected area of Peru. Small areas of the park overlap with the ashaninkas communities. The altitude range of the KBA Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo National Park is 900-4000 masl. The presence of other species has been reported, such as the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the puma (Puma concolor), the Andean musmuqui (Aotus miconax), the Andean stump (Callicebus oenanthe), a rare and endemic monkey, restricted to the lowland forests of the Alto Mayo (between 850 and 1,000 meters above sea level) and the almost extinct giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus). The ecoregion present in this KBA is the Peruvian yungas or eastern montane forests of the eastern slope of the Andes mountain range, characterized by its dense vegetation.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The KBA Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets the A1, B1 and B2 criteria for identifying sites of biodiversity importance according to Global Standard for the Identification of KBA. This KBA harbors the threatened plants Oreopanax williamsii, Brunellia brunnea, Styloceras penninervium and the endangered amphibian Atelopus seminiferus. This KBA also harbors 24 restricted range bird species.

Additional biodiversity: Pristimantis infraguttatus, Pristimantis muscosus and many birds: Aulacorhynchus cyanolaemus, Campylopterus villaviscensio, Cranioleuca berlepschi, Grallaria blakei, Grallaria carrikeri, Grallaria przewalskii, Grallaricula ochraceifrons, Heliangelus regalis, Hemitriccus cinnamomeipectus, Henicorhina leucoptera, Knipolegus signatus, Machaeropterus eckelberryi, Megascops petersoni, Metallura theresiae, Phylloscartes gualaquizae, Picumnus steindachneri, Pipreola squamipectus, Poecilotriccus luluae, Scytalopus macropus, Touit stictopterus, Xenerpestes singularis, Xenoglaux loweryi, Zimmerius villarejoi, Herpsilochmus parkeri

Manageability of the site: This KBA covers the Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo National Protected Area (BPAM) and its buffer zone. Conservation International Peru (CI Peru) has the management contract for the BPAM and works together with the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP), NGOs ECOAN, ProNaturaleza, Proyecto Mono Tocón, AIDER, and SPDA to reduce deforestation within the area, strengthen its governance, and engage local communities in its conservation. CI Peru and SERNANP have designed strategies for managing the Alto Mayo Protection Forest. Additionally, they have established conservation partnerships and agreements with indigenous communities and settled populations in the buffer zone to combine efforts in community surveillance, transferring technical and organizational knowledge to these stakeholders.

Supersedes another site: SitRecID 24462 - Abra Patricia - Alto Mayo

Delineation rationale: The boundary of this KBA follows National Protected Area Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo and sourronding areas this KBA limits to the west with Rio Nieva, Abra Patricia - Hierba Buena and Abra Pardo de Miguel KBAs and to the south with the KBAs Vista Alegre - Omia and Moyobamba.To the east, it follows the boundaries of the buffer zone of the Alto Mayo Protected Natural Area, excluding the cities of Naranjos and Nueva Cajamarca. To the north, it crosses the Aichiyacu River to the departmental boundary between Amazonas and Loreto.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: Peruvian yungas or eastern montane forests of the eastern slope of the Andes mountain range.

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The integrity of the Alto Mayo Protected Forest is under threat from land traffickers and the cultivation of illicit crops. The areas adjacent to the river, as well as those distanced from the mountains, show considerable disruption due to a notable human presence. The primary driver of deforestation in the upper Mayo River basin is the cultivation of cash crops such as sun coffee, rice, and cocoa.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Shifting agriculture
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Intentional use (species being assessed is the target)	Ongoing
Residential & commercial development	Housing & urban areas		Ongoing

Additional information