Tree Flora of Peru

Supporting conservation and sustainable management of forests in one of the world’s most biodiverse countries

Peru is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, containing almost 10% of the world’s plant species. A number of organisations in Peru, such as the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), are in the process of developing small-scale agroforestry systems using native tree species, helping to control the destruction of natural forests and conserve genetic resources. These initiatives make an important contribution to improving the livelihoods of poor local farmers.

This project is working to document tree diversity in Peru, providing information on silviculture and utilization of the more important tree species in the Amazon and Andes. The results of the research are presented in practical, user-friendly, illustrated tree guides. The first of these, Árboles útiles de la Amazonia Peruana y sus usos (Guide to the Useful Trees of the Peruvian Amazon), was published in 2003 and distributed free to farmers, foresters and students. This was followed by Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru (2004).

In 2006 Arboles útiles del Ande Peruano (Guide to the useful trees of the Peruvian Andes) was published, aiming to promote the sustainable utilisation of the Peruvian tree flora and to support the development of agroforestry and forest management programmes.

Research on the Peruvian tree flora is continuing, and preliminary work has now been started on the second edition of Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru.

Key papers published since 2006

• Reynel, C., Pennington, T. D., Pennington, R. T., Marcelo, J. L. & Daza, A. (2006). Arboles útiles del Ande Peruano. Tarea Gráfica Educativa, Peru.