Changes in the landscape in a protected area in the Peruvian rainforest and the impact on the local population: case of the Mishana community

Abstract

This research focuses on the landscape change in a small community (Mishana) located within inside a protected area (Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve), in the Amazonian rainforest of Peru. The landscape is formed by the tropical rainforest, with high biodiversity. My main theoretical approaches will be from geography and ecology (landscape ecology). One potential threat to this landscape is deforestation, so the aim of my study is to determine the forest cover increase or decrease in Mishana, using satellite images and maps from previous years, and GPS surveying from field work. One special type of forest called varillal will be key to my results. In addition, there were made interviews to some members the local population and other informants who were connected to Mishana, in order to know more about their activities, their connection to the forest and their opinion about living in a protected area. The most important discovery is that there has been an increase in the forest cover because of the regulations given as a protected area, and that the local population had to adapt to these circumstances, understanding the importance of their forests for the conservation of biodiversity.