The spatial patterns of deforestation are usually non-randomly distributed across the landscape. While anthropogenically driven processes are often addressed in land-use regulation policies and deforestation research, less attention is given to the environmental factors that influence tropical deforestation. This study investigates to what extent climate conditions (temperature and precipitation) and biophysical landscape characteristics (elevation, slope, soil type, forest type, and distance to rivers) facilitate or mitigate deforestation processes in Peru's tropical Andes. A Random Forest regression model was constructed for the entire Peruvian tropical Andes, and separate models were developed for some of the known direct deforestation drivers in the region (coca production, gold mining, and land-use by indigenous and non-indigenous communities). Soil type and precipitation were ident...

Objectives. Classifying blood lead levels and identifying the factors associated with elevated blood lead levels in children living in a district of Callao. Materials and methods. Transversal descriptive study. The study population was composed of children of both sexes from 1 to 13 years old; the data collection was conducted between March and April 2017. Results. The 310 children studied presented an average blood lead level of 8.59 μg/dL, while the median (P50) blood lead level was higher in males (p=0.008). Blood lead levels in 18.1% of the study population (n=56) were <5 μg/dL; in 54.5% (n=169) levels ranged between 5 and 10 μg/dL, whereas 27.4% (n=85) reported blood lead levels of ≥10 μg/dL furthermore, blood lead levels were significantly different between genders (p=0.007), while significantly more children under 10 years of age (p=0.008) and whose parents did not receive a...

Through a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature, this paper analyzes evidence of the livelihood impacts of Payments for Environmental Services (PES). Forty-six studies assessed PES livelihood impacts. The assessments presented more positive livelihood impacts than negative ones, focusing on financial benefits. Non-monetary and non-material impacts of PES were largely understudied. Most reviews focused on ES providers, hindering the understanding of broader societal impacts. The review yielded examples where participants lost from their participation or where improvements in one livelihood dimension paralleled deterioration in another. Consequently, we identified key research gaps in: i) understanding the social and cultural impacts of PES, ii) evaluating environmental and economic additionality from improving other ES at the expense of cultural ones, iii) and assessing P...

Background: Wildlife has been traditionally used by forest communities as a source of protein, and the Peruvian Amazon is no exception. The articulation of colonist and indigenous communities to urban centers and markets results in changes in livelihood strategies and impacts on wildlife populations. To address the threat of overhunting and forest conversion, we provide a generalized characterization of colonist and indigenous communities and their hunting activities near Pucallpa, Ucayali, Peru. Methods: A semi-structured household survey was conducted to characterize hunters and describe their prey collections. The data were analyzed by conducting a Kruskal-Wallis test, a multiple regression analysis, and by estimating the harvest rate (H). Results: Less wealthy households were more actively engaged in hunting for food security and as a livelihood strategy. Additionally, older hunters ...