Oxapampa-Ashaninka-Yanesha Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2010, in Peru. The Oxapampa–Ashaninka–Yanesha Biosphere Reserve is in the Department of Pasco in central Peru. It contains the last undisturbed ecosystems in the country’s central jungle. Its position between the Amazon forest lowland and the montane cloud forest results in high diversity of flora and fauna, and a marked altitudinal range of 300–4,500 m at Nevado de Huaguruncho. The reserve is composed of native communities including Yánesha, Asháninka and Ashéninka, descendants of European settlers of Austro-German and Swiss origin, and communities from the Andes, coastal areas and the Amazonian jungle. These communities engage mainly in agriculture and livestock rearing, although logging and handicraft development have gained importance in recent years.