The Pantanos de Villa Reserve created in 1989 is located south of Lima and is an important international wetlands system, which is a type of ecosystem.  The region is subtropical and a desert life zone, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.  Marshes, lagoons and sand bars make up the reserve.  The Pantanos de Villa are rich in biodiversity, given the variety of flora and fauna present.  According to the 2010 guide “Protected Natural Areas” (“Areas Naturales Protegidas”) 208 bird species are present in the reserve, of which 49 are resident of the reserve, and 159 are migratory: 53 from North America and the Arctic, 19 from the south of South America, 49 from local areas and 38 from the Andean region and the jungle.    This means that the reserve is an important feeding, reproduction, safe harbour and resting place for migratory birds which make the long flights from the North and and South and more local flights over the Andes.  

The Pantanos de Villa Reserve is one of thirteen (13) RAMSAR sites in Peru.  The RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1975, promotes the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.  Of the 13 RAMSAR sites in Peru, 9 are designated Important Bird Areas including the Pantanos de Villa Reserve.  There are species of plant and flora in the wetlands that would not be able to survive without the wetlands.  Flora present include Cattail (Typha dominguensi), Water pennyworts (Hydrocotyle) and Water milfoil (Myriophyllum.)

Findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, mandated by the United Nations in 2000, are that humans have changed the ecosystems largely to meet demand for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel, which has resulted in a largely irreversible loss in the biodiversity of the earth.  And looking into the future, additional degradation of ecosystems is expected, putting at risk the viability in the future of humans and other life.  In the specific case of birds in Peru, the principal threats are hunting birds for food, the pet trade, fishing nets that trap birds, destruction of their natural habitat and infrastructure and natural resource extraction activities. 

The following photographs were taken in the months of May and June 2010, after the migrant birds flew back home.  Twenty (20) species were identified.  During the migration period, there would be many more bird species present.