Help communities to conserve Peru's Dry Forests

Dear Friends,

A Rocha Peru and local communities are working hard to protect and conserve the dry forests in Pacasmayo. In January, we were excited to receive a volunteer, Chris Rampersad, a Biologist from the United Kingdom. Chris stayed for three months working on several project activities. He talked about the effects of climate change on the dry forest with locals and also helped the team monitor research plots installed in ACP-Cañoncillo to assess the biomass and necromass of the dry forest. One of his findings was an increase in the height of the trees, with an average growth rate of 2.56m since 2018. In addition, Chris started his research in Tronco Prieto and ACP-Cañoncillo forests collecting data such as species richness, the abundance of each species, and the amount of felled and dry trees. Chris completed his investigation of pre-existing species in the area, conducting two interviews at the Raimondi Museum and the Trujillo Herbarium.

Our beekeeping sustainability activities are continuing this year, and in January, we had our first harvest of 12kg of honey from the beehives installed in the Tronco Prieto Forest. We also held a meeting with the beekeepers to agree on the management and administration of the money collected. We monitored the hives installed in the Tronco Prieto Forest. The production had dropped, mainly due to the lack of flowers in the area, so we have moved the hives to new flowering sites within the forest.

In March, the team held photo exhibitions in Antonio Raimondi Museum, San Pedro de Lloc, to spread awareness of the project and its achievements. A Rocha Peru donated a catalog of species of flowers and fauna from the dry forest to the Antonio Raimondi Museum.

This year our environmental education aims to focus on the youth of the Pacasmayo community to help generate environmental leaders and empower them in the conservation of the dry forest. Many activities have kicked off, including talks about the importance of the dry forest at the National University of Trujillo, Guadalupe, the Tecapa Secondary School, and San Demetrio. We have also created an environmental club with the 2nd and 3rd-grade students at the Santa Teresa Inmaculada school in San Pedro de Lloc. Moreover, we conducted talks to raise awareness about the importance of the dry forest at Santa Teresa Inmaculada, where 300 students participated. To contribute to the conservation of the dry forests of the province, the Santa Teresa Inmaculada School asked us to donate and help plant 100 carob tree seedlings in the ACP-Cañoncillo.  We were able to identify the ideal area for planting in Canoncillo with the help of Cooperativa Agraria de Usuarios de Tecapa.

Northern Peru was affected by torrential rains and cyclone Yaku in March. The beneficiaries from our La Libertad Dry Forest Project living in Jatanca and Santa Maria have had their houses damaged, cookstoves destroyed, and rice crops lost. We are looking to raise funds to help restore fallen walls (mud-brick) in family homes, repair, and reinstall improved cookstoves, and share food assistance for families, if possible. Please read more about our Flood Relief Campaign and help us to rebuild.

We want to thank you all for your contributions, and we look forward to your continued support as the year progresses.

A Rocha Peru