The Amazon Jungle stretches across parts of nine South American nations. In Peru, the administrative region of Madre de Dios houses the most mysterious, uncharted and biodiverse area of the Amazon.  Las Piedras River begins in Alto Purus National Park and runs some 650 km. The Las Piedras river is a major tributary of the Madre de Dios River which flows into the Amazon River. The remote headwaters of Las Piedras is the connective tissue between  several of Peru’s most important protected areas, the Alto Purus National Park, Manu National Park and Bahuaha-Sonene National Park.  These areas are home to indigenous communities such as the Yora, Mascho-Piro, Matsigenka, Harakmbt, Yine and some of the last voluntarily isolated nomadic tribes.

The Las Piedras watershed, which is part of the Tropical Andes hotspot, is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Species recorded on the existing protected lands include more than 480 bird species, 11 species of monkeys, and at least 19+ IUCN Redlist threatened and endangered species including the Giant Otter, the Jaguar and the Harpy Eagle.  The middle Las Piedras River is a global conservation priority due to its biodiverse rainforests and increasing threats, including the paving of the nearby Interoceanic Highway and increased agricultural expansion.