Peru’s rainforest is under immediate threat, with thousands of hectares destroyed every year, endangering biodiversity, climate, and local communities.

Peru’s rainforest covers 67.6 million hectares, over half of the country’s land (MINAM, 2024). It stores vast amounts of carbon, regulates water cycles, and hosts countless species found nowhere else (Finer et al., 2018). Yet between 1985 and 2024, nearly 3.6 million hectares were lost (~5.3%), with over 140,000 hectares cleared or degraded in 2024 alone (Global Forest Watch, 2024). Deforestation hotspots include Madre de Dios and Loreto, driven by agriculture, mining, and infrastructure (MINAM, 2024).

Major Threats:

• Agriculture: Forests converted to cattle pastures, soy, and oil palm (FAO, 2023).

• Illegal Mining: Mercury contamination and habitat destruction (Swenson et al., 2011).

• Fires: Fragment habitats and reduce carbon storage (Aragão et al., 2018).

• Infrastructure: Roads and hydro projects increase deforestation (Barber et al., 2014).

• Climate Change: Rising temperatures and altered rainfall threaten species survival (IPCC, 2022).

The Republic of Verdoria, a symbolic micronation dedicated to protecting the rainforest, is calling for urgent action. Protecting Peru’s Amazon is vital for biodiversity, climate stability, and local communities. Every hectare lost endangers species and livelihoods.

If deforestation in Peru continues, the consequences will extend far beyond national borders. Ongoing forest loss reduces the Amazon’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide and regulate global climate systems, accelerating global warming and increasing the risk of extreme weather events worldwide (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2022). At the same time, habitat destruction drives species extinction and weakens ecosystem resilience, threatening global biodiversity and essential ecological functions such as pollination and water regulation (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2023).

We are calling on the Ministry of Environment of Peru (MINAM) to take immediate and concrete action. This includes expanding and strictly enforcing protected areas in deforestation hotspots, strengthening monitoring and law enforcement to effectively combat illegal logging and mining, supporting local and Indigenous communities in sustainable forest management, rapidly implementing restoration programs for degraded lands, and ensuring transparent, publicly accessible reporting on deforestation trends and conservation outcomes.

Sign this petition to urge the Ministry of Environment of Peru (MINAM) to take immediate action — and learn more about Verdoria’s mission at https://www.verdoria.org/