In this study, we analyze the impact of 18 socioeconomic factors at individual, family, and locality levels to understand their influence on medicinal plant knowledge (MPK) in four provinces and 12 localities of the northern Andes of Peru. We interviewed 50 participants per locality (totaling 600 people) from lowlands and highlands ecoregions. The participants were balanced in terms of generations and gender. We performed multivariate statistical analyses—generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordinations—that showed the influence of each socioeconomic variable on the medicinal plant knowledge of people in the different sites. At the individual level, we found that most participants with higher MPK were women, elders, people with lower levels of education and job qualifications, non-migrants, and participants who have lived for a long period in the same region. At the family level, we found that participants living in low economic conditions with few material goods, including their means of transport, tools possession, access to technology, farm size, number of farm animals, and house quality, had higher MPK. At the locality level, we found that people living in more isolated areas with scarce regional services, such as access to paved roads, hospitals, big markets, tourist development, and chlorination of drinking water, had higher MPK. In short, people with less access to modern services and with low economic resources are the main depositaries of MPK. Policy makers and decision makers should consider the significance of MPK in alleviating health problems and diseases in Andean regions, especially for people with rural livelihoods. This local botanical knowledge of medicinal plants should be preserved in the area as a great natural heritage for humanity.

In Peru, grasslands monitoring is essential to support public policies related to the identification, recovery and management of livestock systems. In this study, therefore, we evaluated the spatial dynamics of grasslands in Pomacochas and Ventilla micro-watersheds (Amazonas, NW Peru). To do this, we used Landsat 5, 7 and 8 images and vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI). The data were processed in Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform for 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 through random forest (RF) classification reaching accuracies above 85%. The application of RF in GEE allowed surface mapping of grasslands with pressures higher than 85%. Interestingly, our results reported the increase of grasslands in both Pomacochas (from 2457.03 ha to 3659.37 ha) and Ventilla (from 1932.38 ha to 4056.26 ha) micro-watersheds during 1990–2020. Effectively, this study aims to provide useful information for territorial planning with potential replicability for other cattle-raising regions of the country. It could further be used to improve grassland management and promote semi-extensive livestock farming.

Anthropic activity affects the hydrogeomorphological quality of fluvial systems. River and valley classifications are fundamental preliminary steps in determining their ecological status, and their prioritization is essential for the proper planning and management of soil and water resources. Given the importance of the High Andean livestock micro-watershed (HAL-MWs) ecosystems in Peru, an integrated methodological framework is presented for morphometric prioritization that uses a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Weighted Sum Approach (WSA), geomorphological fluvial classifications (channel, slope, and valley), and hydrogeomorphological evaluations using the Hydrogeomorphological Index (IHG). Of six HAL-MWs studied in Leimebamba and Molinopampa (Amazonas region), the PCWSA hybrid model identified the San Antonio HAL-MW as a top priority, needing the rapid adoption of appropriate conservation practices. Thirty-nine types of river course were identified, by combining 13 types of valley and 11 types of riverbed. The total assessment of the IHG indicated that 7.6% (21.8 km), 14.5% (41.6 km), 27.9% (80.0 km), and 50.0% (143.2 km) of the basin lengths have “Poor”, “Moderate”, “Good”, and “Very good” quality rankings, respectively. The increase in the artificial use of river channels and flood plains is closely linked to the decrease in hydrogeomorphological quality.

The increasing demand for food and energy presents challenges for agricultural and energy sustainability, especially in regions with limited arable land. This study analyzed the productivity and morphological adaptations of Phaseolus vulgaris L. in agrivoltaic systems using monofacial, bifacial, and semi-transparent photovoltaic technologies under the high Andean climatic conditions of Chachapoyas, Amazonas, Peru. The evaluated varieties, Panamito and Chaucha, were cultivated with planting distances of 25 cm and 35 cm. The analyzed variables included plant height, number of trifoliate leaves, number of flowers, number and weight of pods, grain weight, and yield. The experiment was designed with plots under agrivoltaic systems and a conventional system as a control. Environmental parameters such as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), irradiance, precipitation, leaf moisture, soil moisture, and ambient temperature were monitored. Results showed that the bifacial system with a planting density of 25 cm was the most efficient, recording a plant height of 139.38 cm, an average grain weight of 67.97 g, and a yield of 700.5 kg/ha, significantly surpassing the conventional system. These findings shows the potential of agrivoltaic systems to enhance agricultural production by efficiently utilizing solar radiation and land, providing an innovative solution for integrating agriculture and energy generation, as well as increasing productivity in scenarios with land-use competition and climatic challenges.

The Andes of northern Peru are still widely covered with forests, but increasingly suffer from habitat fragmentation. Subsequent soil degradation often leads to the abandonment of overused forests and pastures. Ecological knowledge on the restoration potential, e.g., on dependencies of soil conditions and altitude, is scarce. Therefore, we compared soil and vegetation patterns along nine transects within the upper Pomacochas Basin, which is an important biodiversity corridor along the Andes, between remaining forests, succession sites and pastures. Anthropogenic successional and disturbance levels, geological substrate, and altitude have the most important ecological impacts on vegetation and tree species composition. Species responded to sandstone versus calcareous substrates, but also to depths of the organic soil layer, and light conditions. The absence of organic layers under pastures contrasted with the accumulation of thick organic layers under forest cover. Vegetation composition at succession sites revealed certain starting points (herbal stage, bush stage, or secondary forest) for restoration that will determine the length of regeneration paths. Pre-forest patches of Alchornea sp. and Parathesis sp. may act as habitat stepping stones for expeditiously restoring biocorridors for wildlife. The key findings can contribute to the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity in a fragile ecoregion.