A steep dry slope with large boulders covered in spiny shrubs and large candelabra like cacti.

The Marañón Valley

A national treasure of Peru’s biodiversity with global significance.

RBGE’s Tropical Diversity team is working on a project in Peru, to document plant diversity and discover new species in the incredible Marañón valley.

The Río Marañón is a major tributary of the Amazon River, the upper reaches of the river run through a dry inter-Andean valley in northern Peru.

The valley is renowned for its high number of restricted endemic species. Previous work has shown that the seasonally dry tropical forests found in the valley are particularly rich in endemic species and that much of the valley remains under-collected by scientists. In addition, the forests in the valley have a key role in maintaining water provision and soil stabilisation benefiting human populations in the Andes and ensuring the health of the Amazon River downstream. However, the forests in the Marañón valley are under severe anthropogenic pressure due to their accessibility and fertile soils, and are in need of protection.

During the Newton funded project, Increasing knowledge of dry and montane ecosystems across Peru, RBGE and our Peruvian partners will be producing the first checklist of seed plants for the dry forests of the upper Marañón watershed. This project will involve collecting new specimens, cataloguing specimens already present in local herbaria, and helping our local partners get this specimen data online for use by the wider scientific community.

The RBGE Tropical Diversity team has a long history of working in the dry forests of Peru, and is continuing to develop projects with our Peruvian partners.

Maranon

A steep dry slope with large boulders covered in spiny shrubs and large candelabra like cacti.
A branch with large oval, opposite leaves and clusters of many tiny small green flowers.
A muddy brown river winding through a steep valley with sparse spiny shrubs on steep slopes.
Small open red flowers with four red petals.
A muddy brown river in a steep rocky valley with slopes covered in green shrubs.
A red and yellow flower with long yellow stamens.
A narrow bridge over muddy brown river winding through a steep valley with dry mountains in the background.
A cluster of fluffy white flowers on a branch with green leaves.
A green shrub with fluffy white flowers growing out of a rocky crevice in cliff.
Low, dry forest with cacti and spiny, swollen trunked trees on a steep rocky slope.
Green leaves, small yellow seeds and dry brown bean pods displayed on a black cloth background.
An upright inflorescence with open yellow flowers and some green flower buds.
Two men standing under a small, spindly tree in a dry flat valley bottom, with steep rocky slopes and blue sky in the background.
Brown winged seeds on the end of a branch.
Cacti and spiny shrubs with blue flowers, steep rocky slopes covered in low cloud in the background.
A small complex flower with five white petals and a series of yellow and red structures at the centre, against a background of green leaves.
Low, dry forest with cacti and spiny trees on a steep rocky slope.

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