Great News for Conservation in Peru: Management Plan approved for Yurúa Conservation Concession
The Yurúa Community Conservation Concession spans over 45,000 hectares of pristine forest near the border of Ucayali, Peru, and Acre, Brazil. It is the only conservation concession in Peru managed by Indigenous communities.
May 2025
We are proud to share a major milestone for community-led conservation in the Yurúa watershed of southeastern Peru. The Atalaya Forest and Wildlife Office (SOFFSA) has officially approved the Management Plan for the Yurúa Community Conservation Association (ACC Yurúa).
This document—a simplified planning tool—will guide the sustainable management of the over 45,000-hectare Conservation Concession, marking a critical step in efforts to protect the area. This achievement is the result of a rigorous process that began in 2011 by Upper Amazon Conservancy (UAC) and its sister organization, ProPurús.
The path to originally protecting the area involved several key milestones, including the titling of three adjacent communities in 2017, the formation of the Association to manage the Concession, the formal request for the Concession in 2018, and its official approval in 2019. After an exceedingly bureaucratic process, on Friday, May 9th, 2025, in a heartfelt ceremony held at the UAC offices, the Director of SOFFSA, Ing. Saldaña Arana, formally presented the resolution approving the Management Plan to Mr. Gerson Mañaningo, the Association’s president. This act formally recognizes the conservation efforts of nine Yurúa communities that border the Concession, and affirms their enduring commitment to protecting local forests and biodiversity.
UAC has been coordinating with various agencies to ensure final approval of the Management Plan. Required activities included a field inspection with authorities in October 2024 and a biological assessment in February 2025, which was carried out in collaboration with the wildlife experts from the Alto Purús National Park. Through the assessment, we documented several iconic and rare species, including the white-mantled tamarin, Leontocebus weddelli melanoleucus, a rare species endemic to the Yurúa region which underscoring the area’s ecological importance.
A key part of the management plan’s approval process was conducting an inspection of the Concession with authorities in October 2024.
This accomplishment not only strengthens ecosystem protection but also reinforces indigenous leadership in the sustainable stewardship of their territories. The approval of the Plan is a powerful example of successful collaboration among communities, civil society organizations like UAC, and public institutions in promoting respectful, environmentally responsible and sustainable development.
We remain committed to supporting the successful implementation of the Yurúa Concession—the only conservation concession in Peru managed by native communities!