On a misty slope in the Kosñipata Valley of Peru, just below the towering peaks of the Andes, biologist César Medina adjusts a sensor on a tree marked for tracking—part of a living experiment unfolding across 2,500 meters of elevation where plants and insects are already on the move, climbing uphill to survive. This is ground zero for understanding how Amazonian species might outrun climate change. A groundbreaking study published in May in Global Ecology and Conservation has for the first time mapped the Amazon’s most viable climate-resilient corridors—pathways that could allow life to shift upward as temperatures rise. The findings spotlight the Andean Amazon, particularly in Peru, as the biome’s best hope for maintaining biodiversity through upslope migration.
As global temperatures climb, species must relocate to stay within their climatic comfort zones. In flat tropical lowlands, that often means moving hundreds of kilometers—a near-impossible journey in a fragmented world. But moving uphill offers a shortcut: cooler temperatures within just a few kilometers. The study reveals that only in regions with intact forest corridors, steep elevation gradients, and protected status can this lifeline remain open. Across the Amazon, just a handful of areas meet these criteria. The standout is southwestern Peru, home to Manu National Park—a 1.7 million-hectare (4.2 million-acre) sanctuary that stretches from snow-capped Andean peaks at 4,000 meters down to Amazonian lowlands. Here, biodiversity thrives: over 1,000 bird species, 1,300 butterfly species, and countless plants find refuge across an unbroken elevational gradient.
The research, led by scientists from the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group (ABERG), analyzed forest cover, elevation shifts, and protection status across the Amazon basin. They found that 62% of tropical forests are no longer connected to future climate analogues—places where today’s species could survive tomorrow. But in the Peruvian Andes, a network of protected areas and continuous forests offers a rare chance to preserve connectivity. Additional corridors were identified in parts of Colombia, Bolivia, Guyana, and Suriname, but most suffer from deforestation, oil exploration, and weak protection. In contrast, Manu and its surrounding landscapes—studied continuously since 2003—show how long-term research and conservation can align to support resilience.
The implications are urgent. With less than 8% of the Amazon’s upslope pathways currently secure, the study calls for immediate action to protect these critical zones. "Corridors that span large elevational gradients across protected-area networks may represent unrealized opportunities for promoting biodiversity resilience under climate change," the authors write. As species from beetles to bromeliads climb for survival, the integrity of these pathways will determine whether entire ecosystems persist—or vanish.