The **Peruvian Amazon** has lost more than **three million hectares of forest between 2001 and 2023**, an area equivalent to eleven times the **metropolitan area of Lima**, according to a recent report prepared by the **Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS Peru)**.
The analysis points out that **70% of recent deforestation is concentrated in only four critical areas**, highlighting **Ucayali, Loreto, San Martin, Huanuco, and Madre de Dios** as the most affected regions. Just between **2019 and 2023**, an additional **602,000 hectares** of forest loss were recorded.
The Ucayali River Basin, epicenter of Amazon deforestation
The greatest pressure is concentrated in the **Ucayali River basin and its tributaries**, which account for **almost half of the total deforested Amazonian area since 2001**. The phenomenon is closely linked to:
- The **expansion of illegal coca crops**
- The opening of **critical road corridors**
- Extractive activities in **areas without formal land titles**
According to the report, **49% of the deforested areas** have been transformed into **agricultural and livestock plots**, while **43% show some natural recovery**.
Illegal mining and drug trafficking: drivers in the southern and northeastern Amazon
The **Madre de Dios** region, along with neighboring areas of **Cusco and Puno**, accounts for **388,000 deforested hectares**, especially in the last five years. The expansion of **illegal mining** in places like **Tambopata, Manu, and Tahuamanu** is the main driver.
The study also identifies the **middle Marañón basin** (between **Amazonas and Loreto**) as a new critical area, with more than 51,000 hectares lost between 2019 and 2023, associated with **drug trafficking and illegal mining**, and the **Lower Amazonas**, on the triple border with **Colombia and Brazil**, an area of **high exposure to transnational crime**.
Indigenous communities at the forefront of deforestation
The report reveals that **19% of the total loss** corresponds to **indigenous community territories**, representing more than **582,000 affected hectares**. These territories face **invasions, land trafficking, illegal crops, logging, and illegal mining**, altering their ways of life and undermining collective rights.
Protected areas and concessions: points of forest resilience
In contrast, spaces with **formal mechanisms of administration and surveillance**—such as **protected natural areas** and **concessions for conservation, reforestation, or ecotourism**—show **very low levels of deforestation**, concentrating **less than 5% of the total loss**.
An urgent call for comprehensive and territorial policies
The Peruvian Amazon remains one of the **main reservoirs of biodiversity and ecosystem services on the planet**, but faces **increasing vulnerability due to a lack of territorial governance, the expansion of illegal economies, and institutional fragmentation**.
The report concludes that **without a coordinated response among governments, communities, and civil society**, it will be difficult to reverse current trends. An **urgent national strategy for forest protection based on rights, economic sustainability, and effective territorial surveillance** is required.
