Background

Located in southeastern Peru, Madre de Dios is known as the country’s biodiversity capital, covering 12% of the Peruvian Amazon and containing some of the richest wildlife on Earth. Its 8.5 million hectares of forest support the world’s greatest concentration of bird species and healthy populations of jaguars, tapirs, and other iconic Amazonian mammals. Nearly 190,000 people—including 10 Indigenous groups and 37 Indigenous communities, some in voluntary isolation—depend on these forests, which are also safeguarded by a strong network of protected areas and 1.7 million hectares of titled Indigenous lands.

Despite this protection, Madre de Dios faces increasing pressure from illegal mining, logging, expanding agriculture, and water pollution. These threats contribute to Peru’s broader deforestation crisis, which generates more than half of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Conserving Madre de Dios is therefore critical not only for biodiversity and Indigenous rights, but also for climate stability and the long-term health of the Amazon.