Biological diversity of Peru: Determining priority areas for conservation

The distributions of both the organismal and ecological diversity of Peru w ere evaluated through cartographic analyses in relationship to Peru's natio nal system of protected areas. Also identified and mapped were areas so poo rly known that they represent conservation information gaps, areas that can not currently be evaluated, but which should not be overlooked. These metho ds revealed that the protected area system in Peru did not adequately prote ct either organismal or ecological diversity. In the short term, inclusion of unprotected priority areas in the national system is the best way to imp rove biological conservation. Over long time periods, it is also important to make decisions about the priority of areas that are information gaps. Th is study provides a useful point of comparison with other countries that ar e at different stages in the task of assembling biodiversity information. I t was clear that i) the identified priority areas were important for nation al-level planning; ii) the drier and nonforested ecosystems seldom have bee n included in conservation efforts; iii) because degradation processes will constantly change, the conservation status of a particular area will also change and should not be confounded in the setting of priorities with the v alue of the biological diversity present; and iv) the identification of inf ormation gaps is the most transparent method for keeping decision-makers ad vised as to the limits of scientific knowledge on the distribution of biolo gical diversity.