Community-Driven Conservation of Peru's Dry Forest

Dear GlobalGiving Donors,

We’re delighted to share the latest news and progress from our conservation and ecotourism initiatives across Lobitos, Negritos, and Piedritas in the Piura province of northern Peru. Your continued support remains essential to our mission of protecting these unique and fragile ecosystems while sustaining the livelihoods of local communities.

Ecotourism trails and research on the dry forest

Our ecotourism trails are located in the dry forest and marine-coastal environment of northern Peru, where the Algorrobo (Neltuma pallida) tree is dominant in the ecosystem. This keystone species has a very long taproot that can reach deep underground water sources, even in the local hyper-arid climate, and through symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, improves the soil’s capacity to hold moisture, and is therefore instrumental in the survival of the ecosystem as a whole.

Recent volunteer interns on the Reforestation and Ecosystem Restoration programme at EcoSwell have been conducting research into the importance of conserving this tree, as well as the effectiveness of various forest monitoring methods more generally. In particular, volunteer interns conducted interviews with local community members in Piedritas to understand their lived experiences and their perception and acceptability of different forest monitoring methods, including drones, satellites, participatory monitoring, and surveys done by the interns themselves, who have been piloting their own methods.

We have learnt a plethora of information about the complex situation and multifaceted threats facing the algorrobo and the ecosystem as a whole, and will use this research to support our conservation efforts and safeguard the local endemic wildlife and broader ecosystem. As part of our ongoing commitment to provide a viable economic alternative to logging in the area, we have also conducted regular visits to our ecotourism trails over the past few months, to ensure everything is well-maintained.

Groundwater surveying 

In September, we had the pleasure of hosting several students from the University of Edinburgh as part of a visit by the E4C or Engineering For Change program, who worked on our water and sanitation projects. Volunteer interns conducted VES (Vertical Electric Sounding) resistivity surveys for our Sichez groundwater project that aims to help the soil recover and fight deforestation through regenerative grazing. These subsurface resistivity surveys involve conducting electricity through equally spaced electrodes in the ground, then gradually increasing the spacing, the results of which can be used to understand the depth and salinity of the water table and plan the best locations for boreholes. In addition to this, we also held a workshop for community members in Sichez regarding the geophysical survey techniques.

Biodigester at the Fisherman’s Guild.

Also in September, E4C volunteer interns carried out a visit to the biodigester that EcoSwell installed at the local Fisherman’s Guild. This is a sealed tank containing bacteria that breaks down sewage into nutrient-rich fertilizer, with the aim of helping manage wastewater spills in our home town of Lobitos. Unfortunately, we found it hadn’t been maintained properly, so we created an informative poster for guild members that clarifies the necessary tasks and highlights their importance. We have also been carrying out surveys of other wastewater spill sites in Lobitos, with the aim of identifying the sources of these outflows, which will help us better plan future solutions.

Tree planting

Our long-running and successful tree planting programme has continued over these past few months, helped by a generous donation of 91 saplings from Piura’s Regional Agricultural Ministry. Local government officials and the mayor of Lobitos have also joined our volunteer interns in helping bring greenery and shade back to Lobitos, and fighting desertification along the way.

A Heartfelt Thank You

Your generosity continues to inspire and empower our efforts. With your support, we are promoting environmental stewardship, advancing clean water and sanitation initiatives, strengthening local livelihoods, and safeguarding the remarkable biodiversity of Northern Peru for future generations.

We are truly grateful for your ongoing dedication to our shared mission.

Warm regards,

Diego Almendrades

Dear GlobalGiving Donors,

We are excited to share the latest updates and developments from our conservation and ecotourism projects across Lobitos, Negritos, and Piedritas, in the Piura province of Northern Peru. Once again, your continued support is vital to continue protecting these unique and fragile habitats, and safeguarding the livelihoods of the local community.

Recent Highlights

Ecotourism trails in Piedritas and Negritos

Our ecotourism trails in the Piedritas Dry Forest and Marine-Coastal environment continue to provide income for the local community as guides, as well as preservation for these threatened habitats. Recently, our volunteer-interns conducted a site visit to ensure the trails were in good condition, consciously trimming overgrowth, and checking on signage and infrastructure such as the bird-hide at the Punta Malacas Wetlands and the recently built bridge at the start of the trails. A good biodiversity of native, endemic and migratory birds and wildlife were spotted during this visit, including the Burrowing Owl, Amazilia Hummingbird, Snowy Egret, Franklin’s Gull, Sechuran Fox and the Peruvian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium peruanum), a great sign that the community conservation efforts are on the right track. Another visit to the Negritos community ecotourism trails was also fruitful, with 5 adult Southern Flamingoes (Phoenicopterus chilensis) present at the Punta Balcones Wetlands, probably stragglers from the previous summer migration season.

Tree planting and ecological awareness

During the aforementioned visit to Piedritas, we carried out a small experimental planting of native mangrove saplings at the Punta Malacas Wetlands. As one of the planet’s most effective and most threatened blue-carbon sinks, coastal wetlands harbour a diverse array of wildlife (both native and migratory), and protect coastal ecosystems from the worsening impacts of climate-driven erosion and storm damage. This can be further improved with mangrove ecosystem restoration, so this is an early trial to gauge whether the mangroves can actually grow and establish themselves there. Furthermore, we have continued our tree-planting program within Lobitos, engaging local families and community members, and handing out information leaflets promoting ecological awareness. Our volunteer interns have also been hard at work maintaining the Lobitos Reforestation Site, as well as the EcoSwell seedling nursery. Lastly, we were invited by the Regional Office of Agriculture (Piura Region) to a stakeholders' workshop in the city of Talara, regarding the complex and threatening situation of the Algorrobo (Neltuma pallida), the dominant tree of the Tropical Dry Forest in northern coast Peru. We hope that this can lead to further opportunities for collaboration and partnership-building with local authorities and other key players!

Greywater treatment and compost harvesting

At the EcoSwell house, we continue to embody an ecological and permacultural lifestyle, to learn and to be an example in the community. We replanted 51 vetiver slips salvaged from last year’s pilot vertical flow constructed wetland for wastewater bioremediation at Negritos. Reusing these slips at the EcoSwell household greywater treatment wetland improves the safe and ecological treatment of our own effluent for the benefit of the surrounding ecosystem at our ecological garden. Fruiting bodies of different fungal mushrooms (Agaricus sp., Chlorophyllum molybdites) and mycorrhizal mycelium growing at the wetlands in symbiosis with the established vetiver radicular system is a great sign that the “bio-filter” is thriving and recruiting microorganisms for a greater effect, while also storing carbon, and improving the soil health andl food web. Furthermore, we harvested and are applying the compost (safe “humanure”) from our dry toilet in the upkeep of the Lobitos Reforestation Site, ensuring a circular nutrient cycle where nothing is wasted.

Sichez groundwater: potential for kickstarting regenerative grazing

Last year, we carried out groundwater geophysical surveys at the pastoral goat-herding community of Síchez in Lobitos. We trained local community members in the use of geophysical equipment to gather data for estimating the depth and salinity of the water table at the dry valleys or dry riverbeds (known as “quebradas”), a precious resource in this hyper-arid environment. In the near future, we aim to gather enough data to inform the ideal location of a borehole for groundwater extraction and sustainable use by the community, as well as for kickstarting regenerative grazing in the surroundings, that could restore the ecosystem and replenish the water table, effectively reversing desertification, while producing food and improving socioeconomic conditions. This is also known as Holistic-Planned Grazing and Holistic Management (developed by the Savory Institute and Savory Network, of which we are members). We have been visiting Síchez lately to catch up and explore the different options for moving forward with community ownership in the project.