Gran Pajatén Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2016, in Peru. Located in the Central Cordillera, the Gran Pajatén Peruvian Biosphere Reserve is characterised by high altitudes and a pristine ecosystem. It incorporates the Río Abiseo National Park, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The site is home to rainforest fauna and flora characteristic of this region of the Andes, and has a high level of endemism. It is the only place on Earth where the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda), previously thought extinct, is found. Gran Pajatén also lends its name to an archaeological site in the Andean cloud forests of Peru, which provides a window into pre-Inca society. Main economic activities in the biosphere reserve are agriculture, notably cacao and coffee, livestock and mining.