A wide variety of eco-regions
In addition to the 3 emblematic regions, specialists have identified as many as 11 eco-regions. In the far north, on the border with Ecuador, there's a tropical sea and warmer waters around Tumbes and Piura. Then, as you move along the coast, the sea cools and the mist - the famous "garúa" - becomes more recurrent. Then comes the Pacific desert, a large arid fringe, dry in summer and wet in winter. At higher altitudes, the fog can roll in to form what are known as "lomas", lush green oases of unusual richness, with numerous rivers running through them. Near Lima, for example, you can visit the Lomas de Lucumo.
In the widening middle fringe, you'll find the Pacific rainforest to the north, a narrow zone of immense trees and exuberant vegetation in the heart of the Tumbes department. Pumas and sloths can be seen here. Then comes the equatorial dry forest, home toalgarrobo and ceibo. The Andean peaks can be seen in the distance. The foothills are made up of the "serranía esteparia", a mountainous steppe landscape that begins at around 1,000 m altitude, and features a tangle of fertile valleys, thundering torrents where cacti make their appearance. The central and southern heights of the country are formed by the puna. Above 3,500 to 3,800 m, this landscape suffers from wide variations in temperature between day and night, and is home to condors and Andean flamingos.
Last but not least, the wealth of Peru is also and above all the Amazon. It too is diverse. It begins in the foothills of the Andes with the high jungle, also known as the yunga or selva alta, with its hot, humid climate, complex mountainous terrain and exuberant vegetation. Here you'll find numerous orchids, enormous begonias and baroque ferns. You'll also find the gallito de las rocas (rock cock), Peru's national bird, or the choro de cola amarilla monkey, recently thought extinct, as well as the mythical quetzal of Guatemala's Mayans. We then descend into the lowland jungle or tropical rainforest that covers two-thirds of the national territory: the Amazon of our imaginations. More than 20,000 plant species have been recorded here. Fauna includes the jaguar, tapir, two species of dolphin, aquatic turtles, monkeys, black caimans and anacondas. A final ecological speciality is the palm savannah (on the eastern border of Madre de Dios department, close to the Bolivian border), also nicknamed "Pampas del Heath" after the border river, with its hot, humid and very rainy climate. Here you'll find swamp deer, toucans, carpintero blanco and large endemic rodents.
A unique ornithological wealth
One of the most interesting, yet little-known fauna is the birdlife. The country regularly ranks between2nd and3rd in the world for birdwatching. We advise you to refer to the undisputed and annually updated bible (in English or Spanish only) Birds of Peru by Thomas S. Schulenberg, Thomas S. Stotz, Daniel F. Lane and John P. O'neill, Princeton University Press. These insiders list each species with its characteristics and supporting drawings. Every year, Peru organizes the Birding Rallye Challenge, often hosted in the lodges of Inkaterra, one of Peru's ecotourism pioneers. You too can follow in their footsteps at the comfortable Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, for example. But there are plenty of lodges in the Amazon jungle, many of which are involved in conservation projects that are very welcome in an endangered region and in the face of a state that lacks the resources to protect its natural areas. The Tambopata Research Center, for example, manages a research project on the macaw, the Amazon's emblematic parrot. The country is also home to endemic and emblematic species such as the gallito de las rocas, Peru's national bird, and numerous species of hummingbird, including the cola espatula hummingbird with its elegant princess-like train, which is a unique sight in flight.
Peru is also home to the largest number of butterfly species in the world. In the Tambopata jungle around Puerto Maldonado, an observer could contemplate in an instant some 1,265 of the 4,000 species of butterfly that flutter through the Peruvian air!
An equally surprising flora
The vegetation, in line with the three main biogeographical zones, is extremely varied. On the coast, the vegetation is of the arid soil type, with mangrove swamps in the northern reaches of the rivers and savannah-type vegetation alternating between small bushes and cacti. The slopes of the cordilleras are home to a wide variety of cacti, far more diverse than on the coast. Peru's most famous tree is the astonishing puya raimondii, which can reach 12 m and grows in only a few regions of the world. In the Andean valleys, grasses are abundant (ichu is the best represented), as are all kinds of mosses, lichens and herbaceous plants, the latter also found in the puna. On the lower part of the slope that descends to the selva , the tropical rainforest appears, with a wide variety of trees such as cedar, many medicinal herbs and many other species. The total number of species endemic to Peru exceeds 200... The special conditions found in Peru make it a privileged place for orchids, for example (a fabulous specimen can be seen at the Kuélap site, in the Chachapoyas region to the north). According to experts, Peru has between 1,850 and 3,000 species of orchid. Unfortunately, deforestation, the growing international orchid trade and local collectors have jeopardized the existence of a large number of species. Rich in animals, the Amazon is also rich in rare woods: mahogany, cedar, palo de sangre (bloodwood), whose often ruthless cutting is an economic blessing and an ecological blight. Of all these species, rubber caused the most fevers, accounting for a fifth of exports in the 1920s, and was the source of cruel exploitation of the Indian workforce.
Regional parks to see
It's hard to choose between all these treasures. Nevertheless, Unesco has already selected two must-see parks for you: Manu National Park in the southern part of the Peruvian Amazon, which promises the best chance of spotting the jaguar or the giant otter, for example. The second classified park is Huascarán in the Cordillera Blanca, with its 6,878-metre-high peak, unique Andean flora and species such as the condor and spectacled bear. Two parks are also classified as places where it is important to protect both archaeological remains and natural diversity: these are Río Abiseo in the high jungle of northern Peru, which is quite difficult to access, and the famous Machu Picchu Sanctuary, which is also a privileged area for flora and fauna. Spectacled bears sometimes venture onto the site, and had a field day when it was closed due to the global pandemic. The gardens are home to a rich variety of orchids, ferns and other abundant tropical flora.
Sernanp (Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas) protects between 16 and 17% of the national territory. The categories are distinct. There are 15 national parks, 15 national reserves and 9 sanctuaries. Finally, and this is an important part of the conservation task, many private natural conservation areas have been recognized and can be visited. The north, notably the Chachapoyas region, and the Amazon have several of these. In addition to the forest rangers and the sometimes difficult task of protecting them from deforestation, gold panning in the Amazon and hunting, the organization also communicates the importance of the resources generated by the natural protected areas, which provide hydroelectricity and good carbons. Sernanp is part of the global REDD+ conservation project, which finances the protection of forests. Thanks to this work, 8 million tonnes ofCO2 have been prevented from reaching the atmosphere. Of course, some areas are pristine, but Sernanp's challenge is also to educate and capitalize on the local population to protect these riches.
Finally, on June 5, 2021, the Nasca National Dorsal Reserve came into being, the first marine protected area of its kind in Peru, representing 62,392 km2of protected ocean or 8% of the surface area of the Peruvian sea. It is 1,100 km long and 200 km wide, and its depths are home to an underwater mountain range that extends from 1,500 to 4,000 metres below the surface. At the heart of these underwater mountains, 1,116 species have been recorded, including 30 endangered or vulnerable species such as the blue whale or leatherback turtle, and almost half of the endemic species. It will also help migratory species, such as the humpback whale, on their long migration. This news has been greeted with some scepticism by environmentalists, as industrial fishing (particularly tuna) is still possible within the reserve.
