The Matsés National Reserve is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

located in the

Loreto Region Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department, slightly smaller than Japan; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to ...

Peruvian Amazon Peruvian Amazonia (), informally known locally as the Peruvian jungle () or just the jungle (), is the area of the Amazon rainforest in Peru, east of the Andes and Peru's borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, and Bolivia. Peru has the second-l ...

. It has an area of 420,635.34 has. (4,206.35 km²). The proposed establishment of the Matsés National Reserve is an initiative of the Matsés Native Community, which is located in the area adjacent to the Protected Natural Area, which constitutes one of the greatest strengths of the itself, given the commitment shown through their active participation in the process of preparing the establishment proposal. The reserve will also support regional conservation, as it is part of a bi-national biological corridor with the

Sierra del Divisor National Park Sierra del Divisor National Park () is a national park in the Amazon rainforest of Peru, established in 2015. It covers an area of in the provinces of Coronel Portillo, in the region of Ucayali and Ucayali, in the region of Loreto.The city of ...

in Peru and the

and the

Extractive reserve An extractive reserve ( or RESEX) is a type of sustainable use protected area in Brazil. The land is publicly owned, but the people who live there have the right to traditional extractive practices, such as hunting, fishing and harvesting wild pla ...

s in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

- Alto Juruá Extractive Reserve and

Alto Tarauacá Extractive Reserve The Alto Tarauacá Extractive Reserve () is an extractive reserve in the state of Acre (state), Acre, Brazil. Location The Alto Tarauacá Extractive Reserve is divided between the municipalities of Tarauacá (37.63%), Marechal Thaumaturgo (4.64%) ...

History

In the 1960s, during the first contacts between the Matsés and Westerners, the former attacked the surrounding populations with bows and arrows and kidnapped their women. The Government's response was the bombing of their villages and the forced displacement of the indigenous people towards the border with Brazil, where they were subsequently handed over the first territorial reserve in the history of Peru. In 1994, the Matsés, with the support of the NGO CEDIA, asked the Ministry of Agriculture to form a communal reserve that would guarantee them access to the food that the forest and rivers provide them. The Peruvian Government did not establish the reservation or explain the reasons for rejecting the proposal. In the first week of October 2007, three letters from PerúPetro addressed to the Matsé community, reported on the upcoming signing of concession contracts for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons on land owned by the natives and in other areas that for 14 years they had been proposing as a communal reserve for its great biodiversity.http: /www.elcomercio.com.pe
The hidden oil of the Matsés ", Diario El Comercio, Peru, July 14, 2007. In December of that year, the community informed the entities involved of its decision to "not allow companies to enter if the State did not first respond to their request." Thus, after bureaucratic procedures, on August 27, 2009, the establishment of the Matsés National Reserve was made official.

Objectives

According to Supreme Decree No. 014-2009-MINAM, the objectives of the Matsés National Reserve are as follows:

General

* Contribute to the conservation of the existing natural resources in the interfluvium between the Gálvez, Tapiche and Blanco rivers in Loreto, allowing the Matsés population to continue with the traditional, permanent and sustainable use of them.

Specific

* Guarantee the constant reproduction of fish resources and the conservation of wild flora and fauna, protecting the headwaters of the Gálvez and Yaquerana rivers to ensure the permanent supply of food for the Matsés population. * Ensure the participation of the Matsés Native Community in the conservation of their environment, promoting the improvement of their living conditions and respecting their legitimate rights to sustainable use. * value and protect the Matsés cultural heritage as well as the productive systems adapted to the ecological characteristics of the area and its surroundings. * Support regional conservation by being part of a bi-national biological corridor with the Sierra del Divisor national park in Peru and the Serra do Divisor national park and the Alto Juruá and Alto Tarauacá Extractivist Reserves in Brazil.

Location

The Matsés National Reserve is located in the

Yaquerana District Yaquerana District is one of eleven districts of the province Requena in Peru. Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática The Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI) ("National Institute of Statistics and Informatics") ...

, Requena District and Soplin District, Requena Province,

Department of Loreto Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department, slightly smaller than Japan; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to ...

Climate

Hot and humid, with temperatures that usually exceed 34 °C. Like the entire Amazon, it has two well-defined seasons: the emptying season, the dry or summer season (from May to October) is known as the Amazon summer due to the formation of white sand river beaches and the other is the growing season. of rains (from November to April), known as the Amazon winter.

Hydrography

The main rivers in the reserve are Gálvez and Yaquerana (

Javary River The Javary River, Javari River or Yavarí River (; ) is a tributary of the Amazon that forms the boundary between Brazil and Peru for more than . It is navigable by canoe for from above its mouth to its source in the Ucayali highlands, but o ...

basin) and Tapiche and Blanco (

Ucayali River The Ucayali River (, ) is the main headstream of the Amazon River. It rises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of Peru and becomes the Amazon at the confluence of the Marañón river, Marañón close to Nauta city. The city of ...

basin).

Biome

The Matsés region is recognized as an area with rich biodiversity, for its great variety of fish and animals. In addition, it is a wooded area, due to its location and the humidity characteristics in the area.

Fauna

During the two weeks of the sampling for the rapid biological inventory carried out in the area in November 2004, by a team made up of

The Field Museum The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in conjunction with Peruvian organizations such as

Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana The Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (UNAP) was created on 14 January 1961 by Law 13498, given by the government of Peru's President Manuel Prado Ugarteche, responding to various needs that the Loreto community had, until then, ...

, the NGO CIMA, the NGO CEDIA, among others, 177 fish species were registered, 10 new to Peru and eight could be new to science, although it is estimated that there may be more than 300.http://www.fieldmuseum.org/
"Results of the rapid biological inventory", The Field Museum, November 2004. The team registered 43 species of large mammals, estimating 65 for the region, highlighting those of large primates with high densities, as well as that of various threatened species that do not show hunting indications. It is estimated between 100 and 120 species of amphibians of which 74 were recorded including a toad (''

Dendrobates ''Dendrobates'' is a genus of poison dart frogs native to Central and South America. It once contained numerous species, but most originally placed in this genus have been split off into other genera such as '' Adelphobates'', '' Ameerega'', '' ...

'') Possibly new to science and a new genus of toad for Peru (''

Synapturanus ''Synapturanus'' is a genus of Microhylidae, microhylid frogs. They are found in northern South America. Common name disc frogs has been coined for the genus. Because of their fossorial life style, their natural history is poorly known. Ecology ...

''). Likewise, it was estimated between 80 and 100 species, with a total of 35 registered species.http://www.cima.org .pe
Activities and projects: Matsés ", NGO CIMA Peru, November 2004.article & id = 400: loreto-y-tacna-have-new-natural-areas-protected-by-the-state & catid = 1: news & Itemid = 21 http://www.minam.gob.pe
"Loreto and Tacna have new Natural Areas Protected by the State ", Ministry of the Environment, August 27, 2009. As for birds, a total of 416 species were registered, including two specialist species of white sand forests, of which one could be new to science. It is estimated that there are around 550 species of birds.

Flora

According to the rapid biological inventory, the forests are remarkably intact and appear to harbor a higher diversity of plants than in any other Peruvian reserve in low jungle. In these forests 1500 species of plants were registered, many new for Peru and science, although it is estimated that the species of flora amount to 4000. Likewise, large extensions of variables or white sand forests were found, very rare throughout the Continental Amazon and especially rare in Peru. White sand forests are characterized by the poverty of their soils and low diversity, but above all, by their very high levels of endemism.

References

External links

Supreme Decree No. 014-2009-MINAM

Web page of the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State

Results of the biological inventory carried out in the area

Research Institute of the Peruvian Amazon - IIAP

ONG CEDIA - Proyecto Reserva Matsés

Information from the Peruvian Society of Environmental Law - SPDA

INRENA awarded reforestation concessions in virgin forest
{{Natural and Cultural Peruvian Heritage National reservations of Peru Geography of the Department of Loreto Protected areas established in 2009 Tourist attractions in the Department of Loreto 2009 establishments in Peru