Climbing the path above her neighborhood, Haydee Cerrón has a commanding view of a large swath of Lima—brownish-gray dwellings blending into the background of desert, and silvery fog. Around her, though, the hillside is a vibrant green, studded with flowers. Surrounded by low-income neighborhoods of dust-colored houses, the hilly area known as the Lomas de Amancaes is a natural oasis just a stone’s throw from the presidential palace in the heart of Peru’s sprawling capital. Cerrón and half a dozen other community leaders, mainly women, are determined to conserve the unusual ecosystem, but a threat lies practically at her feet, where an informal settlement is expanding up the slope. When the women have complained to authorities, land speculators have responded with... [Log in to read more]