Community-led Conservation in Sierra del Divisor, Peru

Demonstration of a traditional dance in Nuevo Saposoa.

Sierra del Divisor is a recently established 1.3 million hectare national park along the border between Peru and Brazil. The region is a stronghold of large threatened mammals, such as jaguars and tapirs, and protects more than 300 species of fish, 550 species of birds, and 3,500 species of plants.

This forest is also home to around 20 indigenous communities, such as the Isconahua and multiple isolated tribes. Despite its new protected status, Sierra del Divisor is threatened by logging, mining, deforestation for coca production, unregulated commercial fishing, and hunting that endanger populations of endemic species.

Officials on a visit to the communities.

Global Conservation is developing a Global Park Defense program to protect the Sierra del Divisor through joint activities with the Peruvian government and indigenous communities, ancestrally recognized as forest guardians. GC has signed an Inter-institutional Cooperation Agreement with Sierra del Divisor National Park administration (PNSD) under the umbrella of SERNANP, the country-level authority in forest protection. 

In January 2020, GC began a two-year Global Park Defense Program, which has four main goals:

1. Strengthening the operational capacities of institutions and stakeholders

GC built control and surveillance posts in two indigenous communities. To improve connectivity in real-time to allow timely joint intervention actions, GC donated satellite internet equipment to the Anguillal village and indigenous communities (Patria Nueva and Nuevo Saposoa), and to three surveillance and control posts that operate in Sierra del Divisor (Anguillal, Callería, and Tacshi).  

Installation of satellite internet for improved communication capacity.

Twenty-four solar panels were also donated, of which twelve units went to the PNSD, eight to the communities, and four to the Anguillal village. GC also contributed to the maintenance of the photovoltaic system and replaced deteriorated equipment, donating eight batteries for the Callería and Tachshitea surveillance posts, four batteries for the communities, and two batteries for Anguillal village.

Installation of solar panels donated by Global Conservation.

In addition, GC has donated three wooden boats and engines for the three PNSD guard posts, as well as five laptops to PNSD and two desktop computers for the two communities of Patria Nueva and Nuevo Saposoa. GC donated six cell phones to PNSD and eight cell phones for the communities. Finally, GC donated RPAS drones (three for the Navy, one unit for the Army, and one for inter-institutional use) and Garmin InReach GPS (eleven units for the PNSD, seven units for the Navy, and three units for the communities). GC also donated seven cellular trail cameras to the PNSD and provides technical support on an ongoing basis.

In addition, training in the use of the InReach GPS was carried out for nine park rangers from the Anguillal, Callería, and Tacshitea Control and Surveillance Posts. GC gave training in the advanced use of the SMART platform to 21 SERNANP employees from the national headquarters, PNSD headquarters, and park rangers. Additionally, GC trained 39 people from the Peruvian Navy of the Ucayali headquarters in the use of SMART.

Finally, GC is strengthening indigenous communities' capacities to use new technologies to monitor and surveil their territories and forests. GC has conducted training in SMART to Nuevo Saposoa and Patria Nueva indigenous communities and provided them with manuals to strengthen their knowledge on SMART. 

SMART training workshop for local communities.

2. Monitoring and Surveillance

GC has provided technical and logistical support to recognize and verify threats in the PNSD sector based on reported satellite alerts. GC supported special patrols (six mixed patrols and one air patrol), routine community patrols (16 in Saposoa and 12 in Patria Nueva), military planning patrols (16 Navy and Army patrols).

The most recent patrols correspond to the Río Blanco Yaquerana Sector in the Lobo Santa Rocino Native Community. For twenty days, the patrol was carried out with a route through the waterway, approximately 71.33 km, and included park rangers from the Requena and Contamana Surveillance and Control Posts, who identified seven early warnings at the border of the National Park and its buffer zone.

Deployment of the inter-institutional team along the Río Blanco.

GC also made a preventative early warning notification, pending the verification of a new farm in the buffer zone. Likewise, GC has participated in the special alert verification patrol in charge of the PNSD in the Primavera Sector Park South Zone.

Joint patrol between the Marines and the Patria Nueva community to assess the impacts of a fire.

The rangers found seven hectares of coca leaf crops, and 40 people from the villages of Primavera and Esperanza participated in the coca leaf harvesting. In addition, the rangers identified four coca leaf maceration pools. GC also supported the overflight carried out by the PNSD and the Ministry of Culture in the area comprised of the two Indigenous Reserves, Isconahua and Yavarí Tapiche, verifying coca farms across 5 ha within the park, 0.2 ha deforested for housing, 0.5 ha deforested for agricultural use, and 2 ha of coca crops in the Abujao Shesh sector. Due to this finding, the PNSD and GC recently conducted a special patrol in the Utiquinia Sector.

This area of the park was cleared for coca production. After being found by inter-institutional patrols, a criminal investigation was initated.

3. Joint Operations 

GC has coordinated joint activities with key partners: military authorities, in charge of the highest authority of the Navy in Pucallpa, and with judicial authorities, led by the president of the superior court of justice.

As a result, Global Conservation has led and provided technical and logistical support for the joint inter-institutional intervention patrol in the PNSD buffer zone, where thirty-five people participated, including authorities and officials from SERNANP, the Peruvian Navy, the Public Prosecutor's Environmental Office, National Police, and Indigenous Monitors of Patria Nueva and Nuevo Saposoa.

Deployment of indigenous monitors along the Blanco River as part of the joint patrols.

This joint intervention allowed the destruction of two maceration ponds for cocaine paste, destruction of supplies for drug preparation, and destruction of five hectares of coca crops. For this case, the First Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Environmental Crimes initiated the respective ex-officio investigation.

An illegal settlement used for coca processing inside the park.

4. Sustainability, Ecotourism, Environmental Services, and Conservation Agreements

Global Conservation executes the Ecotourism Project in the Buffer Zone of the PNSD as part of the Sustainability and Integral Development of Populations around the PNSD. For this project, GC has implemented a boarding area for tourist river transport units. Moreover, in coordination with the Navy, activities are being carried out to install the Ecolodge in the Nuevo Saposoa Native Community.

New boarding area for tourist boats.

Likewise, in coordination with the PNSD, GC supports the process of setting up the association of artisan women. The PNSD signed Conservation Agreements with the Communities in line with the commitments signed with the National Forest Conservation Program, which has been working with the communities for reforestation projects. Inter-institutional coordination is planned to work on projects in environmental services and carbon credits.

Members of the association of artisan women (Mujeres Artesanas de Nuevo Saposoa).

Likewise, GC is promoting the recategorization of an area of ​​the PNSD into a tourist category. Finally, GC is coordinating with the Regional Government of Ucayali to implement the Comprehensive Development Program for the communities and local populations of the buffer zone.

The Nuevo Sapasoa community says farewell to the visiting commission.