A new regional conservation area has been created in Loreto, the largest region in Peru’s Amazon. The Medio Putumayo Algodón Regional Conservation Area is the fourth protected natural area in the Putumayo region, an area connected by the Putumayo River, which flows into Colombia. The Ministry of the Environment established the area on June 6 by Supreme Decree to conserve 283,595 hectares (about 700,778 acres) across the districts of Pebas, Putumayo and Yaguas. Pebas is in Mariscal Ramón Castilla province, while Putumayo and Yaguas are in Putumayo province. The area contains seven different ecosystems with primary forests. Protecting this area will contribute to maintaining 53% of Loreto’s annual carbon stock. Forests are among the world’s most dynamic carbon reservoirs, as deforestation and land use changes release carbon dioxide, driving global warming. The new regional conservation area covers over 283,000 hectares (700,780 acres) of primary forest surrounding the Putumayo River. Image courtesy of Diego Pérez (Peruvian Society for Environmental Law – SPDA). Sixteen Indigenous communities are to benefit from the Medio Putumayo Algodón Regional Conservation Area. Image courtesy of Diego Pérez (SPDA). The region is the largest in Peru, covering 6,9 million hectares (17 million acres), which represents 28% of the country’s territory and 51% of the Peruvian Amazon. It is also home to the largest Indigenous population, with around 100,000 people from 27 different communities. Additionally, more than 5,000 people living in 16 Indigenous communities around the new regional conservation area, which the regional government of Loreto will manage, will…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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