In Peru's Forests, New Discoveries Signal Encroaching Dangers

Peru is home to more than 200,000 square miles of forest land. 

Photo credit: tadd_debbie/Creative Commons

Peru is famous for the Andes Mountains, but more than 60 percent of the country is covered by the Amazon rainforest—making the country a hotbed of biodiversity and the site of frequent species discoveries. Indeed, every year, a new bird is discovered in Peru and every four years a new mammal is discovered.
These species—both recently discovered and still unknown—are at risk, however, by the rapid development and resource extraction underway in the country. The problem, conservationists point out, is highlighted by the fact that many of these discoveries are not made by scientists, but by employees of oil, gas, and timber companies.

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