Nasca Ridge Marine Protected Area (Peru)

Photo credit: Oceana Peru

Peru is one of the most important fishing countries in the world thanks to the Humboldt Current and its nutrient-rich waters. At the same time, the coast of Northern Peru is part of the Tropical Pacific Sea, whose warmer waters contribute most of the artisanal fishing for human consumption in Peru. It is estimated that more than 1,000 species of fish, including sixty-six species of sharks and thirty-three species of marine mammals, inhabit the Peruvian sea.

The Wyss Foundation partnered with Oceana Peru to help expand protections for Peru’s remarkable marine biodiversity. After years of science-based advocacy led by Oceana Peru, in June 2021, the Government of Peru announced the designation of the Nasca Ridge National Reserve, adding protections for 62,392 km2 of Peru’s ocean territory. The Reserve is within the Nasca submarine mountain range, which is located 140 km from the southern coast of Peru and comprises approximately seven-point-three percent of Peru’s ocean territory. With the creation of the Nasca Ridge National Reserve, Peru protected almost eight percent of its maritime domain, a significant increase from the half percent previously protected.

Peru already stands out in the conservation of its terrestrial environment, but it has been slower to make progress on marine protection despite being one of the largest fishing countries in the world. The Nasca Ridge National Reserve was the first fully marine reserve (with no land component) in the country, moving Peru closer to its international commitment to protect thirty percent of its ocean habitats by 2030. This new Reserve also increases the representativeness of protected marine ecosystems in Peru by protecting deep-sea ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean. 

More than 1,000 species have so far been recorded in the Reserve, including marine mammals such as the blue whale, humpback whale, orca whales, and sea turtles, as well as important fish for fishing such as sharks and tuna.

With the designation complete, Oceana Peru continues its work to ensure that the Nasca Ridge National Reserve effectively conserves the area’s unique biodiversity by supporting the development of the area’s science-based management plan.