Peru

Peru faces a range of challenges that threaten both its natural and cultural environment. In Tambopata Province, in the Madre de Dios region—our focus in South America—these pressures are especially visible. The area is known for exceptional biodiversity and cultural richness, yet both are under growing strain.

Over time, this part of the Peruvian Amazon has been transformed by agricultural expansion, logging, and mining, including activities that are unsustainable or illegal. At the same time, Tambopata remains home to Indigenous Peoples and some of the world’s highest concentrations of terrestrial biodiversity and endemism.

Currently hosted by the International Potato Center, our South America Hub is based in Tambopata. From there, we work with partners to help address environmental degradation and support approaches that balance conservation and community needs. Our focus is to develop new models of land use and resource management that offer viable alternatives—helping shift the region toward a more sustainable development path where both nature and people can thrive.