Madre de Dios Red List Project Underway
March 22, 2006
We know that an extensive area of the Madre de Dios basin has been set aside for protection in parks and reserves. However, it is not known exactly which species are protected in these areas, and which species have been recorded in the Madre de Dios basin but whose habitat is not protected. The answers to these questions will change in the coming decades, due to increasing pressures from economic development and climate change.
ACA is thus developing new plans and tools to help INRENA (the Peruvian National Institute of Natural Resources), researchers and conservationists to avoid species extinctions in the region. The first phase of the “Parks and Species of Madre de Dios” program consists of a preliminary compilation of species lists and publications for select groups of animals (birds, terrestrial mammals, bats, fishes, invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles). We expect the first products to be ready two months from now:
- Lists of the species present and expected within each protected area in the Madre de Dios basin
- Lists of the species known to occur in the Madre de Dios basin but not yet recorded in a protected area
- A list of high-priority research projects to fill gaps in the previous lists; 4) A plan to monitor and protect species not yet covered by the region’s parks.