Over 40 percent of Peru is forested. However, ongoing deforestation is threatening important habitats and deteriorating the livelihoods of indigenous communities in particular. Tui Forest Peru aims to restore and protect native forests in the high Andes. The initiative empowers local communities in the Vilcanota mountain range near Cusco to plant native trees and develop new income opportunities. The Tui Care Foundation, together with the international non-governmental organization Global Forest Generation and the local organization Asociación Ecosistemas Andinas, will enable the planting of a total of 1,9 million trees. The focus is on Polylepis trees, which are adapted to extreme altitudes of 4.000 meters and more. The Polylepis forests play an essential role in supplying millions of people with water - both in the Andes and in towns and villages in the lowlands, where glacial meltwater is an important source of water. The forests are also a valuable habitat for numerous wild animals such as Andean condors, spectacled bears and pumas. To achieve the ambitious goals of the initiative, the indigenous communities in the region are establishing and maintaining at least 20 tree nurseries. The nurseries each have a full-time nursery technician and are run jointly with the high Andean communities - where many people take care of the growing seedlings. In total, over 800 hectares of forest will be restored. Tui Forest Peru will also repair 40 kilometers of nature trails, equip them with information boards and expand the infrastructure of the popular Vilcanota trek. The trek is visited by a growing number of vacationers every year and