A new multi-agency commission will design a conservation plan for Peru’s wetlands, which are increasingly threatened by mining, oil and gas drilling, urban expansion and climate change. Created by executive order on Jan. 9 and announced at an event held Feb. 1 to mark World Wetlands Day, the commission will be headed by the Environment Ministry and will include the Production Ministry, the National Water Authority, the Institute of the Sea of Peru, the Agriculture Ministry’s Forestry and Wildlife Office, the National Service of Natural Protected Areas, regional governments and the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute. The goal is to bring Peru into compliance with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, according to José Álvarez, head of the Environment Ministry’s biodiversity office. The... [Log in to read more]