BioMonitor4CAP in Peru

Peru, one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, plays a pivotal role in the BioMonitor4CAP project. This EU-funded initiative is testing and demonstrating cutting-edge optical, acoustic and molecular monitoring technologies to better understand and protect biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Peru was selected as a key partner not only because of its unique biodiversity and diverse agroecosystems, which offer an ideal setting for exploring the extended functionality of these monitoring devices, but also due to its strong agricultural export ties to Europe. As the EU moves forward with regulations like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which may require companies to monitor and mitigate environmental impacts throughout their supply chains, biodiversity monitoring in countries like Peru becomes increasingly relevant. The project’s findings could therefore influence sustainability practices in Europe and beyond, ensuring that biodiversity is preserved not just locally, but across global food value chains.

Field sites across Peru

The project operates in three distinct regions: Ica, Ucayali, and Pampa Hermosa, offering a rich variety of ecosystems to study how different land use practices affect biodiversity.

In Peru, research is led by Sandra Duarte, Brenton Ladd, and Susan Medina from the Universidad Cientifica del Sur (UCSUR), who oversee both scientific activities and the implementation of new monitoring methods. In May, Martina Clausen from DLG Berlin joined the team on field visits to Neshuya, von Humboldt (Ucayali), and Pampa Hermosa to ensure alignment with the project’s methodological goals.

Martina’s visit also underscored a historical link: the von Humboldt region is named after Alexander von Humboldt, the Berlin-born naturalist whose studies in Peru helped shape the modern concept of biodiversity. His holistic view of ecosystems laid the foundation for ecological science, and his legacy lives on in Berlin’s Museum für Naturkunde, which still houses specimens from his travels.

From cocoa to cacao and palm oil: a changing agricultural landscape

In Ucayali, researchers are conducting soil, insect, and bird sampling across an intensity gradient on Cacao agroforestry systems. 

Historically, the region has been known for cocoa cultivation, but in recent years, both palm oil and cacao plantations have expanded—partly supported by government and UN initiatives aimed at offering alternatives to illicit crops and reducing crime. Although the project’s biodiversity sampling focuses on cacao plantations, it also considers the broader landscape context, exploring whether both cacao and palm oil can be cultivated in more nature-friendly ways, particularly through agroforestry practices that integrate trees and crops.
 

From jungle to highlands: a broader perspective

After completing fieldwork in the Amazon, the team continued to the Andean highlands and the Pampa Hermosa Sanctuary, where researchers from UCSUR are conducting biodiversity sampling in both protected and unprotected grassland areas. This research is vital for understanding how different conservation statuses influence biodiversity. The site also illustrates the delicate balance—and at times, tension—between local communities and governmental environmental agencies. To address this, the project fosters collaboration among the Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado (SERNANP), UCSUR, and local stakeholders, promoting open dialogue and cooperation to ensure that conservation efforts are both effective and inclusive.

On the ground: collaboration and capacity building

At the end of the visit, Nils Borchard from DLG joined the team in Lima for an extended meeting at UCSUR. The group exchanged early findings and discussed the Ica site, where native vegetation patches have been reintroduced into intensive avocado plantations to assess their impact on biodiversity. These forest patches are especially important during the dry season, when the contrast in resource availability becomes more pronounced. Conserving such patches not only supports biodiversity but also enhances landscape resilience, offering critical habitat and ecological functions when surrounding areas are under environmental stress.