Lamas province is located in the northwestern area of San Martin region. It is about 500,000 ha, made up of 11 districts, and has an estimated population of 70,000 inhabitants.  

It is known for its cultural and natural diversity, including the presence of Indigenous communities and the Cordillera Escalera Regional Conservation Area (ACR-CE).

The districts that host the largest extent of the ACR-CE are those that maintain the highest amount of carbon per unit area (San Roque de Cumbaza, Caynarachi, and Barranquita). The district of San Roque de Cumbaza is home to five Indigenous communities within its territory and houses the headwaters of the Cumbaza River, one of the most important sources of water in the province and the region. 

The main crops within the province are coffee, cocoa and oil palm. 42% of coffee production is concentrated in the Alonso de Alvarado district, with the remaining production areas in the districts of Pinto Recodo, Lamas, Zapatero and Cuñunbuqui.

Cocoa is produced across nearly 6,000 ha in the districts of Barranquita (17%), Lamas (16%), Pinto Recodo (15%) and Tabalosos (14%). Oil palm production is also significant in the region, with production systems extending across 5,000 ha in the districts of Barranquita (59%) and Caynarachi (41%). 

Lamas holds more than 29 million tons of accumulated carbon*. Within the San Martin region, Lamas has the fourth highest rate of deforestation of the overall 10 provinces and ranks 25th in deforestation among all regions in the country. 

From 2002 to 2021, Lamas lost 46,200 ha of humid primary forest, making up 52% of its total tree cover loss in the same period. Lamas also lost 89,9000 ha of tree cover during this period, equivalent to a 19% decrease in tree cover since 2000 and representing 58.6Mt of CO₂e emissions.

*According to the study ‘The High-Resolution Carbon Geography of Peru – A Joint Report from the Carnegie Airborne Observatory and the Ministry of the Environment of Peru’.