Las Piedras River (Peru)
The Las Piedras River (the "River of Stones") is a major tributary of the Madre de Dios River in the southeast Peruvian Amazon. Geography of the Piedras Region The Las Piedras River is located in the department of Madre de Dios, which is the official capital of biodiversity in Peru , and is part of the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot. The Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot contains the largest percentage of endemic plants and animals in the world. The Piedras River is the longest tributary of the Madre de Dios River and more than 99 percent of its drainage is in the Amazon lowlands, below 400 meters. The capital of the Las Piedras District is the town of Planchón, which is located in the province Tambopata in the Madre de Dios Department Large portions of the headwaters of the Piedras River are protected by Alto Purus National Park. Below Alto Purus on the Piedras River is the Reserva Territorial Madre de Dios, which is the official territory of Masco-Piro indigenous people, who have been living in voluntary isolation since at least the time of the rubber boom that began in the 1860s. Downriver from the Reserva Territorial Madre de Dios are