A vast Andean foothill reserve protecting Sira Mountain biodiversity and indigenous resource use across central Peru.
El Sira Communal Reserve
El Sira Communal Reserve is a large protected area in east-central Peru that safeguards the biodiversity of the Sira Mountains while supporting the ancestral and sustainable use of natural resources by nearby indigenous communities. Established in 2001 and administered by SERNANP under Peru's national protected areas system, the reserve stretches across the regions of Huánuco, Pasco, and Ucayali, spanning the sub-Andean belt of the Eastern Cordillera. It also protects the headwaters of the Pachitea River basin, making it a critical watershed as well as an ecological refuge.
The reserve sits within an altitudinal gradient running from approximately 130 meters up to about 2,250 meters above sea level, combining lowland Amazonian rainforest, mid-elevation forests, and highland rainforest. This vertical range creates a mosaic of tropical forest habitats and supports an exceptionally rich community of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fish, and trees. The presence of species endemic to the Sira range, such as the Sira tanager and Sira curassow, gives the reserve particular scientific and conservation importance.
In 2010, UNESCO incorporated El Sira Communal Reserve into the Oxapampa-Asháninka-Yánesha Biosphere Reserve, recognizing both its ecological significance and its role in sustaining indigenous land-use traditions. The reserve stands out as a place where landscape conservation, watershed protection, and indigenous cultural heritage intersect.
