Overview
- The national government formally created the Chontabamba‑Huancabamba Regional Conservation Area, protecting 13,734.05 hectares in Oxapampa and five micro‑watersheds that supply roughly 12,000 people.
- The Huánuco regional government has advanced a technical proposal for the 209,484‑hectare Yanajanca ACR, which contains 74 high‑Andean lagoons and is under evaluation at the Ministry of Environment before possible referral to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for final approval.
- Yanajanca would cover páramo and yungas ecosystems that feed the headwaters of the Alto Huallaga and Alto Marañón, supporting agriculture, livestock and coffee production across three provinces.
- Authorities and specialists stress the climate link, saying protecting high‑elevation lakes and cloud forests is vital as changing rainfall patterns put local water supplies and crops at risk.
- Officials present both ACRs as tools for conservation and sustainable development by strengthening ecological corridors, protecting more than 40 endemic species, and opening opportunities for ecotourism, environmental education and payments for ecosystem services.