Monitoring Potential Impacts of Human Activity on Biodiversity in Peru

A group of researchers in the Peruvian Amazon set up a camera trap attached to a tree to capture images of animals that pass by

Morona Biodiversity Monitoring and Assessment Project

Exploring Peru's Wilderness from the Air

Monitoring the impacts of human activities on biodiversity in the tropical forests of northern Peru

The northern part of the Peruvian Amazon, along the western-most edge of Loreto Department, is a remote, understudied and highly biodiverse region. In addition to incredible plant and animal diversity, the area also harbors rich cultural diversity with indigenous groups belonging primarily to the Achuar and Aguaruna ethnicities. In 2018, the Center for Conservation and Sustainability launched a collaborative research program in the area with partner GeoPark, known as the Morona Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring Program, or Morona BMAP. The Morona BMAP will provide scientific evidence to support adaptive management to minimize potential impacts of infrastructure development on wildlife.

The program uses question-driven science to establish a solid biodiversity baseline and conduct long-term monitoring to determine the status and trends of priority species and habitats in an area undergoing hydrocarbon extraction activities. The results will provide impartial, independent and transparent information on the biodiversity of the area, enabling managers to respond with appropriate adaptive management actions during the construction and operation of the project.

The Morona BMAP will also contribute new and valuable biodiversity information for an area that has not been adequately studied. CCS will use the information resulting from the Morona BMAP to provide specific recommendations to guide management actions to avoid and minimize potential impacts of operations on biodiversity and to restore habitats after impact has occurred.

Marine infrastructure has the potential to be the curse for marine environments or part of the solution to address major conservation challenges. In this webinar, Ximena Velez-Zuazo, Ph.D., presents the achievements of the first LNG port terminal in South America to sustainably protect and manage biodiversity.

Additional Staff

Diego Balbuena

Continue Exploring

A whiteboard from a scenario planning workshop with x-and-y graphs with axes representing "political will" and "population size" and colorful dots added to sections

Case Study: Scenario Planning in Northwestern Virginia

Virginia Working Landscape

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A researcher stands among tall trees in a sunlit forest in Virginia.

Changing Landscapes Initiative
Smithsonian scientists work alongside community members in Northwestern Virginia to evaluate the impacts of land-use change on wildlife, ecosystem services and community health.
Corals

Coral Biobank Alliance
Smithsonian scientists are part of the Coral Biobank Alliance, a global network of coral experts preserving corals for restoration and research.
coral reef

Coral Cryopreservation Training Course
An underwater photo of a coral reef with a large coral in the foreground surrounded by smaller corals and fish swimming in the distance

Coral Species Cryopreserved with Global Collaborators​
View a list of the coral species that have been cryopreserved using a technique developed by Smithsonian scientists.
Herd of wildebeest grazing on an open grassy plain with one tree

Wildebeest Conservation
Conservation Ecology Center scientists are tracking the movements of white-bearded wildebeest to understand how changes across the landscape impact the species.
A small bird called a piping plover stands on a sandy shore

Protecting Piping Plovers in the Great Lakes
In 2022, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will begin a new research project to help protect endangered piping plovers from predation by merlins.
A swift fox wearing a tracking collar is released at Ft. Belknap

Swift Fox Recovery
Smithsonian scientists, in collaboration with the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department, are embarking on a five-year swift fox reintroduction project to restore swift foxes to tribal lands and to help reestablish connectivity between disjointed swift fox populations.
A large leafy tree growing adjacent to a body of water, with cattle grazing in the grass underneath its canopy

Conserving the World’s Largest Working Wetland
Conservation Ecology Center researchers are collaborating with institutions in Brazil and other Smithsonian colleagues to support sustainable cattle ranching in the Pantanal wetland.