Conservation charities buy slice of Peruvian rainforest

Within one of most pristine rainforests in Amazon

August 2010: Nearly 7,500 acres of world-class bird and wildlife habitat - thought to contain perhaps the highest bird diversity for a single site anywhere in the world - has been bought in southern Peru with the financial help of the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the Amazon Conservation Association (ACA).

DIVERSITY: The area is thought to be home to more than 650 species of birds

The 7,427 acre area is within the spectacular 4.7 million-acre Manu Biosphere Reserve, which is one of the most pristine areas of remaining rainforest in the Amazon.

‘Hacienda Villa Carmen is sited in an area of extraordinary biological richness, as it lies at the junction of the eastern Andean slope and the Amazonian lowlands. It is one of the least explored life zones of the western Amazon; birds new to science, and new trees are still being found in the area. We believe it has the highest single location bird diversity on the planet where more than 650 bird species can be seen on the property,' says Dr Adrian Forsyth, President and Founder of the Amazon Conservation Association.

Breathtaking area for conservation
Daniel Lebbin, of ABC, added: ‘We are thrilled to help finance the acquisition of this breathtaking area for conservation. For generations to come, people from all over the world will be able to visit and experience the diverse bird community and other wildlife the site affords.'

This large property, called Villa Carmen, is situated at the confluence of three rivers, with frontage on two: the Pini Pini and the Tono. The property also has numerous streams and waterfalls, an all-weather road, and a small airstrip. The land ranges from about 1,500 to 3,500 ft in elevation, and contains roughly 90 per cent old-growth rainforest, with about five per cent diversified agriculture and five per cent secondary forest.

Home to more than 600 bird species
The property is next to Amazonia Lodge, a popular birding destination along the Manu road with a bird list of more than 600 species including several globally threatened species, such as the black tinamou, military macaw, blue-headed macaw, wattled guan and solitary eagle. The area also supports wintering habitat for a number of neotropical migrant songbirds.
Wintering U.S. WatchList species of conservation concern include the olive-sided flycatcher, Cerulean warbler and Canada warbler.

The area joins a growing list of protected areas within the ABC Latin American Bird Reserve Network that currently numbers 36 reserves spanning 700,000 acres in 12 countries. Plans for the new reserve include cooperative efforts with local communities in the area to help preserve the greater Manu ecosystem, stimulating a local conservation economy with demonstration projects in sustainable agroforestry and aquaculture, and hosting environmental education programmes, while providing lodging for visiting birders.