Matsés National Reserve, Natural reserve in Loreto Region, Peru
Matsés National Reserve is a large protected area of Amazon rainforest located in northeastern Peru between several river systems. The reserve encompasses diverse forest habitats and stretches across a vast expanse of relatively undisturbed wilderness.
The Peruvian government established this reserve in 2009 after local communities rejected oil extraction permits. The decision came from a desire to protect the ancestral territories of the people living there.
The Matsés people live in and around the reserve, maintaining their traditional hunting and fishing practices that have evolved to balance with modern needs. These activities remain central to how the community interacts with the land.
The reserve is remote and requires either a charter flight or extended river travel to reach. Visiting requires good preparation for tropical rainforest conditions and weather patterns.
The reserve contains rare white sand forests that few people know about and which support a special community of wildlife. Birdwatchers can find species found nowhere else, some possibly never previously documented by science.
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