Ecuador and Peru have agreed to create the first bi-national biosphere reserve in the region, placed right on their shared border. Telesurf noted that beginning in 2016, Ecuador's Ministry of the Environment will work with Peru's National Service for Natural Protected Areas to have two forests -- the Arenillas and Tumbas -- be declared as a bi-national biosphere reserve by UNESCO.

To note, biosphere reserves (or bioreserves) are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems that promote solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with sustainable use. According to UNESCO, they are internationally recognized and nominated by national governments. They also remain under the jurisdiction of the states they are located. Bioreserves, in some ways, are considered as living laboratories for testing and demonstrating management of land, water and biodiversity.

They function for conservation, development, support research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and even global issues on environment conservation and development.

Paola Inga, the director of the bi-national biosphere project from Ecuador said, "Between Ecuador and Peru we have shared a dry forest where part of the Arenillas reserve is part of a shared ecosystem. We will develop a dossier to present to UNESCO next year."

He also shared that both countries, whose projects will create 1,831,132 acres of reserves, intend to work in collaboration with the communities in the area. The agreement that created a project reserve encompassing 1,831,132 acres in Ecuador and Peru. It was reached earlier in the month, when the governments of both countries met to hold their cabinet meeting, with the participation of Ecuador President Rafael Correa and Peru President Ollanta Humala.

The agreement is organized with four lines of action, as cited by Living in Peru.

First, the agreement targets buffer zones of both areas by focusing on surveillance plans, animal monitoring and biological corridors.

Second, conservation activities, including the management model of the Binational Biosphere Reserve are to be strengthened, including the "Cerros de Amotape" National Park, the "Coto de Caza El Angolo," the national forest of Tumbes and the Biosphere Reserve in southwestern Ecuador. Creation of nodes for eco-regional management is also planned.

Third, the agreement wants to focus on social participation in relation to the Binational Biosphere Reserve, and the dissemination of the Binational Network for Ecuador Protected Areas in Peru.

Finally, the fourth course of action is to prioritize coordination meetings between protected natural areas from authorities of both countries, as well as the dissemination of important information between the officials involved.