Conservation of Peruvian wetlands: an analysis of the law, penalties and consequences

Wetlands are globally valuable ecosystems, mainly because they provide ecosystem services. In Peru, these ecosystems are governed by regulations that have been in place for the last 60 years. However, these have not been critically assessed to date. This paper compiles and analyzes the regulations related to Peruvian wetlands, evaluating the penalties they impose and their consistency with the legal systems protecting these areas. As a result, 44 documents were found, which include laws (13), decrees (11), resolutions (8), strategies (6), regulations (3), protocol (1), declaration (1) and the constitution. Eighty-five percent of these documents (37) do not set forth any sanctions; seven established penalties. Among the latter, we find penalties punishing pollution (4 documents), overexploitation of resources (3), poor management (3), accumulation of debris (1), and the presence of drains (1). As well, we find impacts that are used to assess the conservation status in protected areas, such as pollution (7), overuse of resources (4), displacement of native species by the introduction of exotic species (3) and habitat loss (2). The evolution of documents over time, the penalties they establish, and the need to strengthen regulatory aspects and propose strategies jointly with competent authorities and the population are discussed.