The original proposal for the Alto Purús Reserved Zone included 5,101,945 hectares and the area was home to a series of native communities and mestizo settlements with a total population between 5,000 and 6,000. Half of these settlements are located in an area that extends from the lower Peruvian part of the Purús river, between the Brazilian border and some 100 kilometers upriver. The other half are located on the middle and lower section of the Inuya and Sepahua rivers and along the Urubamba River. A small population is located on the Breu River, close to the Brazilian border.
When the territory for the reserved zone was reduced to its current 2´724,263.68 hectares, all the communities (with the exception of the Monterey community) fell outside the protected area. The aim was to create an unpopulated area that would be apt for the future declaration of a national park. However, all these communities remained in an area with a direct influence on the protected area.
The population in the province of Purús, concentrated in the eastern part of the reserve, outside but adjacent to the protected area, use the resources in the zone and number approximately 3,150. Ethnically, there are two main groups, a mestizo population (600 inhabitants settled in Puerto Esperanza) and an indigenous population (2,550 residents along the Purús and Curanja rivers).
The indigenous population is made up of the following ethnic groups: (in descending order of population size) Cashinahua, Sharanahua, Culina, Mastanahua, Amahuaca, Asháninka, Chaninahua and Yine, settled in 31 villages. Of those 23 have territorial recognition (indigenous community territories recognized by law11) and the rest are made up of annexes and settlements that do not have titles. The smallest villages are made up of groups of between eight and 15 families, while the largest have between 18 and 30 families.
Together with the indigenous people that are present and in-contact with Western society, there are non-contacted indigenous groups (or those who seek voluntary isolation) reported in different sectors inside the protected area near the Alto Curanja river and near the headwaters of the Purús, Las Piedras, Yaco and Chandles rivers. Neither the ethnicity nor the number of groups has been determined. It is know that they are small groups of nomadic families that have established a migratory circuit, which allows them to practice their subsistence activities.
There are approximately 2,500 people living in the province of Atalaya. They are concentrated in the lands adjacent to the western part of the protected area of the Sepahua and Inuya rivers. They are mestizo and native residents from the Amahuaca, Yines and Nahua ethnic groups. This zone has access to the Ucayali River that reaches the departmental capital city of Pucallpa, which is connected to the rest of the country by road.
In Puerto Esperanza, the provincial capital, there is a police station, a military outpost (Rural Settlement Military Unit UMAR), a Sub-prefecture, a Transitory Regional Administration Council (CTAR), a Health Ministry office, a Migration and Naturalization office, and a municipality with a mayor and city council. It is the political and economic hub of the region, with a decisive influence over the Alto Purús Reserved Zone. The local population sells local products in Puerto Esperanza and are forced to buy necessities from stores whose prices are triple the national average.
The local population, in particular the indigenous population, engages in small-scale farming, hunting, fishing, and gathering forestry products for subsistence needs. The logging industry does employ some local residents, providing them with a very modest income that allows them to buy staple goods.
Access
The only direct and official access route to the Alto Purús Reserved Zone is by air from Pucallpa. There is a paved landing strip in Puerto Esperanza that can be used by light aircraft and mid-sized planes. There are no regular flights. All flights are chartered, mainly by loggers who monopolize air transport in the area. Occasionally the government supports flights bringing aid to local residents. There are no roads and there is no way to reach the area by river from Peruvian territory.
There is river access from Brazil, but this route is rarely used. The Purús region is one of Peru's most inaccessible areas by boat. In order to reach the reserved zone travelers must take a boat upriver from Puerto Esperanza, a two-day journey with a 16HP motor, before reaching the reserve on the fringes of the communal lands belonging to Santa Rey, Balta, Laureano and Gastabala indigenous communities.
