Ecological characteristics and spatial distribution of Urarina peatland and wetland ecosystems in Peruvian Amazonia

Wetlands and peatlands in Peruvian Amazonia are important for their unique biodiversity, carbon storage, and flood regulation. They also underpin the livelihoods, cultural traditions, and spiritual beliefs of indigenous communities, including the Urarina in the Loreto region, who hold extensive traditional knowledge of these ecosystems. However, this knowledge and the ecosystems themselves face threats from extractive industries and infrastructure development, which disrupt indigenous territories and degrade the environment.

This study integrates Urarina traditional knowledge with scientific methods to explore wetland and peatland ecosystems. Fieldwork was conducted in four Urarina communities along the Chambira River basin, combining social and ecological data collection. We conducted 62 semi-structured interviews to refine the known socio-cultural values of these ecosystems, established 36 forest plots to characterize forest structure and floristic composition, and collected substrate data to assess water table depth, peat thickness, and chemical properties. Remote sensing techniques, including supervised classification of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 imagery, were used to map the distribution of Urarina ecosystem types.

The Urarina recognize eight distinct wetland ecosystems, each characterized by unique ecological features, traditional uses, and cultural significance. The study confirms the peat-forming nature of several ecosystems, such as alaka, jiiri and enüüa lauinaa, noting the nutrient-poor, rain-fed substrates of jiiri and enüüa lauinaa. Spatial analysis reveals that jiiri and leuuaku are the most extensive, emphasizing their ecological and cultural importance.

By integrating traditional knowledge with scientific research, this study advances our understanding of these ecosystems and supports conservation and sustainable management policies in Peruvian Amazonia.