Posted on November, 18 2010

Lima, November 17. Illegal logging has been reduced by 90% within the - almost - 606,000 hectares of the Güeppi Reserved Zone – GRZ (Loreto, Peru), according to the estimations of the Head of the protected area, sociologist Teófilo Torres.

“By working alongside the local population we’ve managed to block the main access points formerly used by illegal loggers to enter the reserved zone”, said Torres. Furthermore, according to his reports, illegal logging may have been completely eliminated in the Peneya river basin – the sector under the most pressure from this threat. Here, illegal logging has not only affected the forest and its biodiversity, but has also exerted growing pressure on its inhabitants.

Thanks to the support of the European Union, the “Putumayo Tres Fronteras” Project has strengthened the control and surveillance of the GRZ, among others, by setting up a control post in the Santa Teresita community, a key access point for illegal loggers. This, combined with a capacity building process for the staff of the National Service for Natural Protected Areas, has led to definitely blocking the entrance of loggers, and also facilitating a closer relation with the Secoya indigenous communities, who live by the river. This has led to their more active participation in the management of this important natural protected area, contributing to the consolidation of a shared management model for the tri-national conservation complex (Ecuador–Colombia–Peru).