Main initiatives in the Oxapampa-Asháninka-Yánesha Biosphere Reserve – BIOAY

The boundaries of the Oxapampa-Asháninka-Yánesha Biosphere Reserve (BIOAY) correspond to the boundaries of the Oxapampa Province, in the central zone of the Eastern Cordillera. BIOAY covers four protected natural areas (Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park, Yánesha Communal Reserve, San Matías Protected Forest, and El Siratres Communal Reserve) where three ecoregions are defined and connected by the existing altitudinal gradient: the Ucayali Humid Forests, Peruvian Yungas, and Central Andes Humid Puna.  

The BIOAY Biosphere Reserve is a complex network of protected territories and a strategic location for biodiversity conservation. Much of the space it occupies is home to the Asháninka and Yánesha Indigenous groups and to Austro-German and Andean migrants who coexist and adopt sustainable practices of natural resources management.   

Forest loss and wildfires go hand in hand in the region, with over 590 fires detected each year on average, and a rate of forest loss of 75 km²/year. Expanding crop production and illegal coca plantations are also a factor.  

The BIOAY brand is the certification label of the Oxapampa-Asháninka-Yánesha Biosphere Reserve (BIOAY), which recognizes producers who apply good agricultural and value-adding practices. It is the first biosphere reserve certification label created in Peru.

This label will be used on flagship products and services of the province of Oxapampa that make good use of the natural resources and landscape of the biosphere reserve, protecting the environment and biodiversity. The BIOAY brand seeks to promote goods and services that originate in the biosphere reserve, to attract investment, innovation and research, and to align with UNESCO's sustainable development objectives. The Amazon Biosphere Reserves Project aims to strengthen the label’s traceability and licensing processes to promote sustainable practices that contribute to improving the livelihoods of the local communities through:  

• Identification of potential initiatives that could be certified.  
• Strengthening the business sector and generating employment (through value added to local products).  
• Promoting and strengthening initiatives related to agroforestry, beekeeping, aquaculture, and tourism, among others.  
• Expanding markets for local products by improving the quality of these products.  
• Supporting qualitative practices for roasting high-altitude coffees and coffee tasting training for roasters in the district of Huancabamba. 

Forest fires have increased in the area in recent years, mainly during the dry season. An estimated average of 593 fires/year have occurred in the BIOAY Biosphere Reserve over the last two decades, and 99 % of these events are caused by uncontrolled burning of agricultural areas to prepare new fields for cultivation.  

To reduce the negative impact of these practices, the Amazon Biosphere Reserves Project supports the revision of the Oxapampa Province Forest Fire Prevention and Combat Plan for 2023-2030, extending coverage to three districts of the biosphere reserve (Villa Rica, Palcazú, and Constitución). It also supports capacity building for personnel in charge district disaster risk management at the provincial and district levels, forest brigades, and volunteer firefighters. It also raises the public awareness of the adverse effects of burning and land use change. Finally, the project supports acquiring fire control tools and equipment for volunteer firefighters and forestry brigades. 

Improving the basic infrastructure of the BIOAY Biosphere Reserve is essential to strengthen its governance, support socioeconomic activities and biodiversity conservation. The Amazon Biosphere Reserves Project supports the construction and/or rehabilitation of various structures such as: 

•  Delimitation of the Ameerega-La Colina Environmental Conservation Area, conserving 680 ha of Montane Forest and habitat of the endemic frog Ameerega planipaleae. In addition, watershed headwaters will be protected, in order to guarantee a safe water supply for various uses benefiting about 14,000 inhabitants of the city of Oxapampa.  
• Creation of an interpretive trail and tourism infrastructure in the San Alberto Sector, one of the areas with the richest diversity of bird species.  
• Strengthening ecological connectivity between private conservation areas and other forms of conservation within the biosphere reserve through an integrated landscape strategy between the different forms of conservation.  
• Creation, strengthening and management of the tourist routes of the Bear in the district of Chontabamba and Coffee in the district of Villa Rica. 

Peruvian coffee is recognized worldwide for its intense flavor and quality. The production in Oxapampa stands out among the 14 coffee producing regions of Peru, especially the district of Villa Rica, which has achieved the recognition of its denomination of origin.  

It is common for coffee producing countries to mainly commercialize green coffee beans, and coffee cultivation and primary processing is well developed in Oxapampa. However, a new generation of producers is betting on adding value locally. The biosphere reserve aims to extend coffee production to the districts of Oxapampa, Huancabamba, Chontabamba and Pozuzo with the installation of coffee dryers.  

Within this context, the Amazon Biosphere Reserves Project provides technical support for the coffee drying process, to add value to production through the construction of coffee dryers adjusted to the production characteristics of the beneficiary associations and producers. 

The Amazon Biosphere Reserves Project supports the identification of the flagship products and services of the BIOAY Biosphere Reserve, to be promoted on its website and digital platforms and by participating in local fairs. These products should be associated with agroforestry practices that use natural resources and respect the environment and biodiversity.  

To this end, the Amazon Biosphere Reserves Project supports producers from the Oxapampa Provincial Network of Women Entrepreneurs and Businesswomen to train them to formalize and structure their sustainable enterprises. It also promotes the participation of producers from all districts of the BIOAY Biosphere Reserve in fairs to sell primary and secondary processing products such as cocoa, coffee, honey, pollen, passion fruit, derivatives such as chocolate, tablets, juices, etc., as well as handicrafts from the diverse cultures of Oxapampa, such as the Austro-German, Andean, and Amazonian communities.