Data from MapBiomas Peru between 1985 and 2022 also shows that the country has lost 4.1 million hectares of natural vegetation

"In the last four decades, Peru has undergone drastic changes in its territory that have affected natural ecosystems and the livelihoods of urban and rural populations," warns Renzo Piana, director of the Instituto del Bien Común, the organization that leads MapBiomas Peru, an initiative to monitor changes in land use and water surface, which was launched on February 15, released updated data until 2022including new classes such as oil palm cultivation, salt marshes and aquaculture.

As a dramatic example of the transformations taking place in Peru's natural land cover between 1985 and 2022, Piana cites the loss of 94,800 hectares of glacier surface, equivalent to 48% of its extent in 1985, due to climate change. "This reduction in glaciers mainly affects the supply of water resources in the communities of the high Andes," warns Piana.

MapBiomas Peru's mapping of changes in land use over the last 38 years also reveals the loss of 4.1 million hectares of natural vegetation (4% of its original extent), including forest, shrub, pasture, grassland and mangrove ecosystems. These changes in natural cover are associated with the expansion of human activities, such as agriculture, mining, aquaculture and infrastructure, which by 2022 will have increased by 4.2 million hectares.

"MapBiomas Peru allows us to calculate the rate of forest loss in Peruvian territory. The information obtained can help regional governments understand the changes taking place in their territories, for example in terms of land cover and use and the surface area of water bodies," says Piana. He adds that this IBC initiative, in collaboration with the MapBiomas and RAISG networks, also contributes to territorial planning, forest conservation and disaster prevention.

Other findings from MapBiomas Peru reveal that the Peruvian Amazon has lost 2.64 million hectares of natural vegetation in the last 38 years, equivalent to 4%. The equatorial dry forest, a vital biome for the population of the country's northern coast, has lost 5% of its extension in the same period.

The monitoring also warns of the transformations taking place in coastal areas, pointing to the loss of 617 hectares of mangroves between 1985 and 2022. In addition, an increase of 5,000 hectares in the area dedicated to aquaculture was detected in the period analyzed.

As part of the benefits for society, mangroves provide food and resources, help filter water to improve water quality, protect the habitat of coastal biodiversity and, above all, reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, thus combating climate change.

Peru: accelerating change in a megadiverse country

The expansion of mining activity in the national territory stands out, with an increase of 4,315% in 38 years (from 3,800 to 169,300 ha), with a marked acceleration between 2009 and 2022. Madre de Dios is the department with the largest mining area (82,900 hectares, representing almost half of the country's mining area), followed by Ucayali (59,200 hectares). It can be seen that, on the coast and in the Andes, 35% of the area used for mining is located in peasant communities.

"Every year we try to offer our users new and free information. On this occasion, we set ourselves the challenge of including new types of use, such as oil palm cultivation, salt marshes and aquaculture, and adjusting the analysis of others, such as forest plantations," says Andrea Bravo, technical manager for land cover and use at MapBiomas Peru.

The analysis of this category shows an increase of 115,000 ha of oil palm cultivation in the country, with exponential growth since 2007, with Ucayali being the department with the largest extension of this crop (58,800 ha), followed by San Martín (46,400 ha), Loreto (16,300 ha) and Huánuco (4,700 ha).

In the Andes biome, there is an increase in forest plantations (124%). These plantations are replacing natural cover (pasture/herbaceous) and agricultural areas. Although Ancash has the largest area of forest plantations (24,900 ha), Huancavelica shows the largest increase (9.5 times) in the period studied, with an area of 4,500 hectares.

Reduction of glaciers and bodies of water

"MapBiomas Peru's analysis reveals clear impacts of climate change, such as the loss of 94,500 hectares of glacier area, which represents 48%, with possible impacts on water supply in various biomes in the country and, in the Andes, overflowing lakes and lagoons due to melting glaciers, with damage to homes, infrastructure and crops," says Nicole Moreno, technical manager for water and wetlands at MapBiomas Peru.

Moreno adds that MapBiomas Water registers 1.65 million hectares of water for Peru, revealing a 12% reduction in water surface area compared to the historical average for the period 2000 to 2022. "This reduction is particularly alarming because the biomes with the smallest water surface area, such as the Equatorial Dry Forest and the Coastal Desert, are the most affected by intense natural phenomena and/or anthropogenic activities," he says.

MapBiomas Water contains detailed mappings of the water surface in a historical series of more than twenty years, which makes it possible to understand changes in water bodies and identify seasonal patterns. Moreno highlights the value of this information for water management and the protection of aquatic ecosystems.