10 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF PERU AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The environmental problems in Peru are linked mainly to the degradation of air, water or land territory to the unsustainable use of the elements of nature, and the loss of species and ecosystems.

These environmental problems are associated with the industrial obtaining of products, goods and services destined to satisfy the demands of a growing population, with unsustainable consumption patterns.

Yanacocha gold mining basin near the city of Cajamarca. Source: Elbuenminero

Deforestation is the main environmental problem in this South American country. In the last 20 years it is estimated that 2 million hectares have been lost, mainly due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier.

Among the most important ecological, social and economic consequences of Peru's environmental problems are the loss of ecosystems and their benefits, conflicts over water and the loss of quality of life due to impacts on health.

In Peru, the predatory development model that has generated all this environmental problem contrasts with an ancestral culture of life, which for centuries has been built with respect for nature.

Main environmental problems in Peru

Deforestation

Peru is one of the countries with the largest wooded area in America and the world. The original forest area is thought to have exceeded 73 million hectares. However, currently only 67 million hectares of natural forest survive.

These high levels of deforestation are mainly due to the change in land use for food production by agro-industry. To a lesser extent, this phenomenon is attributed to the development of urban areas, road construction, mining and oil exploitation, selective timber extraction, illegal coca plantations for cocaine production, and forest fires.

In the department of Loreto (northeast of Peru) 390,000 hectares of pristine forests were deforested in 18 years due to the construction of the Iquitos - Nauta highway and due to the demand for these lands for growing cocoa.

In Ucayali (to the south) and San Martín (to the center west), 344,000 and 375,000 hectares were lost respectively in the last two decades due to oil palm cultivation.

Deforestation results in the loss of biological diversity and the degradation of ecosystems and hydrographic basins, and it is also the main contributor of greenhouse gas emissions for Peru.

Unsustainable generation and use of energy

In Peru, the main source of energy used is oil. The main deposits are located on the northwestern coast, the continental base and the Peruvian jungle, the latter being the most important oil zone in the country. While the main refineries are located in the coastal area.

In the Peruvian jungle, oil spills are common, due to pipeline failures. These spills have occurred consecutively for more than 40 years of oil exploitation in the area and have had catastrophic effects on the Amazonian biodiversity and its indigenous peoples.

The use of fossil fuel is mainly destined for the transport sector (41%), followed by the industrial sector (29%). In general, the increase in energy demand during the last 20 years has been associated with an increase in the patterns of use of the different services.

The increase in national demand for electricity supply has favored the development of large hydroelectric infrastructure projects and thermoelectric stations, which have caused the contamination or destruction of basins and forest ecosystems, as well as generating social conflicts with the displaced population.

Mining

Worldwide, Peru ranks third in silver, copper and zinc production, fourth in lead and tin production, and fifth in gold production. In addition, it has important deposits of iron, manganese and tin.

Its economy is largely sustained by the extraction and export of these natural resources. However, the unsustainable way in which this activity has developed has resulted in serious environmental problems.

Because a large part of the mineral reserves are located in the Andes, illegal exploitation has led to the destruction of strategic ecosystems such as the high Andean wetlands.

On the other hand, the unauthorized exploitation of gold in the Amazon has generated the deforestation of more than 95,750 Ha, in more than 32 years. Only in the department of Madre de Dios, more than 110 areas of illegal extraction have been reported, the sector of the Amazon being the most impacted by gold mining.

Mining has polluted watersheds and ecosystems in all regions of the country, affecting both the diversity of life and the local inhabitants themselves. High concentrations of heavy metals, a product of mining, have been reported both in fish and in children and pregnant mothers.

Illegal mining also threatens the invasion of protected natural areas and archaeological zones of great importance to humanity.

Urban centers

Lord of Miracles in Lima

By 2018 Peru had 32,162,184 inhabitants, being the fifth country with the largest population in South America. 76% of its population lives concentrated in cities.

The most populated city is Lima, with 9,562,280 inhabitants (almost 30% of the total population of the country), followed by Arequipa (with 1,008,029 inhabitants), Trujillo (with 919,899 inhabitants) and Chiclayo (with 326,040 inhabitants). These four cities constitute the metropolitan areas of Peru.

Urban centers are a major environmental problem for Peru due to their unplanned growth. They generate pollution of the atmosphere, running waters and soils as a result of economic activities, failures in the management of solid waste, emissions and effluents.

In the atmosphere of cities, elevated concentrations (above international standards) of lead produced by emissions from industries and transportation, and by the mechanical disintegration of particles, toxic dust from factories, agriculture and the industry of the building.

The transport sector is one of the main causes of air pollution in cities. Among the causes are the existence of an obsolete vehicle fleet, which does not present regulations, liquid fuels with high sulfur content, and productive and extractive activities carried out with archaic technologies.

farming

The traditional agriculture of pre-Hispanic Peru has been replaced by industrial agriculture, starting with the green revolution that occurred in the mid-twentieth century.

This agriculture has a significant environmental impact, due to the use of pesticides (fertilizers and biocides), genetically modified organisms and large amounts of land.

Likewise, industrial agriculture has a high demand for fossil fuels destined for machinery for planting, harvesting, transporting, processing and storing production.

In Peru, the effects of industrial agriculture imply the contamination of water and soils, the degradation of agricultural soils, the deforestation of the Amazon by expanding agricultural frontiers and the loss of native germplasm such as high Andean quinoa, colored alpacas.

Agriculture is the second activity with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in Peru.

Overfishing

Peru has a great diversity of hydrobiological resources due to the cold upwelling current that occurs in the southern sea.

The main fishing resource is the anchovy, which is used to make sin flour, Peru being the main world producer of this. Other important resources are hake, squid, croaker, bonito and horse mackerel.

Despite the great ecological, economic and social importance of the hydrobiological resources of Peru, there has been an over-exploitation of them and an inadequate distribution of the benefits. This pressure is impacting the renewal of these very important resources for the country.

Problems in the fishing sector include an oversized fishing fleet and landing capacity, lack of control of illegal fisheries and minimum size fishing protocols for most species, and acute pollution due to effluents from the fishing industry. fish meal and canned seafood.

Degradation of freshwater sources and desertification

Peru has 4% of the planet's fresh water, distributed in a large number of small basins that drain towards the Pacific Ocean and in two large basins: the Amazon basin, which drains towards the Atlantic, and the endorheic basin of Lake Titicaca.

This important natural heritage is threatened by the destruction of the headwaters and sources of rivers, pollution due to pesticides from industrial agriculture, and the inadequate generation, management and disposal of effluents and industrial and urban waste.

Lake Titicaca, shared by Peru and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world. Despite its economic, cultural and ecological importance, it is seriously contaminated by the discharge of large quantities of industrial and domestic effluents, solid waste and pesticides.

It has been determined that both the mud, as well as the aquatic plants and filter fauna of Lake Titicaca present high concentrations of heavy metals such as chromium, copper, iron, lead, zinc, arsenic and cadmium.

In addition to water pollution, Peru faces a serious problem of desertification, with 3.8 million hectares desertified and 30 million in the process of desertification.

The direct causes of this phenomenon are overgrazing, deforestation, inadequate agricultural management, industrialization, urbanization and the construction of large infrastructures.

Emissions of greenhouse gases

Total greenhouse gas emissions for Peru during 2012 constituted 0.34% of global emissions and 3.5% of emissions from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Emissions due to changes in land use and deforestation represented 46% of total national emissions during 2012, with an increase of 60% between 2003 and 2012.

On the other hand, CO2 emissions generated by the burning of fossil fuels represented 0.14% of global emissions, and showed an increase of 82% since 2003. These emissions come in 39% from transport and 25% of electricity and heat generation.

Endangered species

Peru is the fourth country with the greatest biodiversity in the world. However, a long list of environmental problems has resulted in a strong threat to its biodiversity, which has resulted in the alteration of natural ecosystems and the population dynamics of species.

In a diagnosis carried out during 2018, it was determined that in Peru there are 777 species of wild flora that are threatened. In the fauna red book, published in 2018, a list of 64 critically endangered species, 122 endangered, 203 categorized as vulnerable, 103 as near threatened and 43 with insufficient data was obtained.

In addition to the degradation, fragmentation and loss of habitat, illicit trafficking constitutes one of the most important causes of loss of biological diversity in Peru. In 2017 alone, more than 10,000 specimens of wild fauna were seized by the Peruvian authorities.

The head and limbs of the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) are traded for use in healing rituals. The fangs, skulls, skins and claws of the jaguar are sold illegally in the markets of Amazonian cities. Various birds and reptiles are marketed as pets.

The Lake Titicaca giant frog (Telmatobius culeus) is an endemic species of this lake and is in critical danger, the highest category of threat. This frog is marketed for gastronomic and medicinal use.

You may also be interested in the main endangered animals of Peru.

Generation and disposal of waste

The per capita production of solid waste in Peru has increased by more than 85% in the last decade.

Of all the solid waste generated, 84% is collected, of which 31% is disposed of in sanitary landfills and 14.7% is recovered or recycled. The remaining 46% is disposed of in informal landfills.

On the other hand, agricultural, domestic, industrial and public health activities generate hazardous waste.

61,468 tons of hazardous waste are produced per year and the infrastructure for its management is insufficient. There is only one company authorized for final disposal and a specialized sanitary landfill.

Therefore, most of this material is disposed of as solid waste, becoming a public health problem and a risk for soil and water contamination.

References

1. World Bank (2007). Environmental Analysis of Peru: Challenges for sustainable development Executive Summary. Peru.
2. Ministry of the Environment. (2016). National Strategy to combat desertification and drought 2016-2030. Lime.
3. Dancé, JJ and Sáenz DF (2013). Status of the environmental situation and management in Peru. University of San Martín de Porres.
4. Ráez Luna, E. and Dourojeanni, M. (2016). The main politically relevant environmental problems in Peru. 14 pp.
5. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Peru. Consultation date: 21:40, March 5, 2019.
6. National Forest and Wildlife Service. 2018. Threatened Wildlife of Peru.