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The Huarango forests of Peru
The narrow desert is flanked to the east by the vast Andean mountain range. It is from these catchments that water brings life to the desert. The rivers flow unpredictably and seasonally, whilst subterranean water runs through complex hydrological systems. Moisture also arrives in the form of seasonal fog off the Pacific Ocean. The south coast is under considerable population pressure and competition for water. Overgrazing and land conversion have meant the inevitable loss of forest as well as saltmarsh, riparian and xerophytic ecosystems, and unique coastal lomas with its endemic flora. The remaining dry forest on the Peruvian south coast has undergone centuries of deforestation and is today nearing extinction as a natural ecosystem. However, the forest provides a valuable if not essential resource for a region supporting over 680,000 people (Dept. Ica). The dominant arboreal genus is Prosopis pallida (Huarango), a leguminous hardwood that has played a fundamental role in local livelihoods for at least 5,000 years. Huarango is also the primary producer, providing soil fertility, desalination, microclimatic amelioration and a key refuge for biodiversity in desert areas, including rare endemic birds such as the slender-billed finch (Xenospinus concolor). The importance of conserving this resource is widely recognised in Peru, and legal measures have been put in place to control its destruction. Some local communities are striving to highlight the issue and protect veteran trees. No protected areas for south coast dry forest currently exist. The loss of the forest has led to widespread soil erosion, and rapid Tamarix invasion is taking place (see Links), this ecological degradation and desertification is compounded by a falling water table. A few surviving areas of ancient Prosopis forest have been identified, the best-preserved of which will provide the core area for the proposed conservation measures. The local people have a vested interest in Huarango forest and have been fundamental to the development of this conservation initiative.
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The Atacama-Sechura Desert stretches along the western Pacific seaboard for about 1,300 miles (2,090 km) from northern Peru to Chile. This is a relatively cool desert, due in part to the cold Humboldt current flowing up the coast from the Antarctic region. In the Department of Ica temperatures range from 12.2°C to 29.0°C and rainfall is effectively nil, with an average of about 1.5 mm per year.