The National System of Protected Places
By: Sarah Parker


Peru has 63 natural areas protected by the state (ANPE-areas naturales protegidas por el estado). These 63 individual protected areas form the National System of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SINANPE-sistema nacional areas naturales protegidas por el estado) (Figure 1). These areas have little or no human intervention so that people can enjoy these places for their natural beauty and to protect the habitat for the flora and fauna located in each area. This system considers two forms of protecting an area: areas of direct use and areas of indirect use. The areas of direct use are those that permit the use of natural resources, primarily for local population, under the guidelines of a Management Plan approved and supervised by the competent national authority . The areas of indirect use are those of intangible protection, in which the extraction of natural resources is not permitted and no type of modification to the natural environment is permitted. These areas only permit scientific investigation and tourism, recreation, education, and cultural activities under duly regulated conditions.
Areas of direct use allow for individual use and there are six types: National Reserves, Wildlife Refuges, Landscape Reserves, Commune Reserves, Protected Forests, and Game Preserves.

1. National Reserves are areas dedicated to the conservation of the biological diversity and the sustained use, including commercial, of the wild flora and fauna resources under management plans, with the exception of the activities of commercial forest use with timber. Tambopata, located in the Madre Dios Region, is an example of a National Reserve in Peru, and this is where I did ecological research with fellow colleagues over the summer 2009.
2. Wildlife Refuges are areas that require active intervention to guarantee the maintenance and recovery of habitats and populations of certain species. The commercial use of natural resources that are able to provoke significant alterations of the habitat is excluded. Pantanos de Villa, located in the Lima Region, is an example of a Wildlife Refuge in Peru.
3. Landscape Reserves are areas where environments, whose geographic integrity shows a harmonious relationship between man and nature, are protected. It harbors important natural, cultural, and aesthetic values. If the zoning of the area anticipates it, the traditional use of natural resources, the scientific and touristic uses, and human establishments are permitted. The activities that signify notable changes in the characteristics of the landscape and the values of the area are excluded. Nor Yauyos – Cochas, located in the Lima and Junin Regions, is an example of a Landscape Reserve in Peru.
4. Commune Reserves are areas dedicated to the conservation of the wild flora and fauna benefiting nearby rural communities which, traditionally, have preference in the use of the resources of the area. The use and commercialization of resources is done under management plans, approved and supervised by authorities and led by the same beneficiaries. Amarakaeri, located in the Madre de Dios and Cusco regions, is an example of a Commune Reserve in Peru.
5. Protected Forests are areas that are established to protect the upper watersheds, the riverbanks and other water courses and, in general, to protect against the erosion to the fragile lands that require doing so. In these, the use of resources and the development of activities that don’t affect the vegetation, the fragile lands, or the courses of water, are all permitted. A.B. Canal Nuevo Imperial, located in the Lima region, is an example of a Protected Forest.
6. Game Preserves are areas dedicated to the use of wild fauna through the regulated practice of the sport of hunting. El Angolo, located in the Piura region, is an example of a Game Preserve in Peru .

Areas of indirect use are for public use and there are three types: National Parks, National Sanctuaries, and Historic Sanctuaries.

1. National Parks are created in areas that demonstrate the ecological uniqueness of the country. In these, one or more ecological ecosystems, the associations of wild flora and fauna, and evolutionary processes are all protected, in the same way as landscape and cultural characteristics. Manu, in the Cusco and Madre de Dios region, is an example of a National Park in Peru.
2. National Sanctuaries are areas where the habitat of a species or a community of flora and fauna is protected, in the same way as natural formations of scientific, landscape, and national importance. Megantoni, located in the Cusco region, is an example of a National Sanctuary in Peru.
3. Historic Sanctuaries are areas that, in addition to protecting spaces that contain natural, relevant values, constitute the environment that demonstrates the monumental and archaelogical heritage of the country; or these are places where outstanding monuments of the national history are developed. Machu Picchu, located in the Cusco region, is an example of a Historic Sanctuary, and also was a place I was privileged enough to visit during my research in Peru .