The 1,591 ha Shitariyacu Conservation Concession in San Martin, Peru, is managed by a local committee of chocolate farmers from the village of Ricardo Palma. NPC and partners helped initiate the creation and management of the reserve in 2009. This area is home to the endemic and Critically Endangered San Martin titi monkey (Plecturocebus oenanthe) and other primate species such as the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus), saddleback tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis) and a host of other endemic and threatened animals.
San Martin suffers from the highest deforestation rates in Peru with around 85% of the region completely deforested. The main threats to wildlife and forests in this area are clearcutting for pasture and logging concessions. The local people from the villages of Ricardo Palma are committed to conservation, not only through managing their protected area, but also through their decision to cultivate organic cacao.
Even though Shitariyacu lies in one of the most deforested parts of Peru, luckily it also borders the Tres Quebradas Conservation Concession, which together protect approximately 6,000 ha of forests.