The Madre de Dios region is formally recognized as Peru's 'Biodiversity Capital', and is home to more plant and animal species than nearly anywhere else in the country – and, indeed, the world. Not only that – in addition to unmatched biodiversity, a number of rare and charismatic species that are declining elsewhere throughout the Amazon can be found here in relatively high numbers. For instance, to name just a couple, jaguars are commonly seen resting on river beaches during the dry season and endangered giant otters are easily observed in the region's numerous oxbow lakes. This incredible biodiversity supports a number of traditional, rainforest-based livelihoods throughout the region and attracts many visitors – researchers, students, and tourists – from all over the world.

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Finca Las Piedras is located in the center of the so-called 'Brazil Nut Corridor' in Madre de Dios, a roughly 1 million hectare area (about the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut) where Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) is among the dominant canopy tree species. The trees' nuts are harvested sustainably each year from this area by 'castañeros', who protect their groves from other forms of resource extraction. The Brazil Nut Corridor, therefore, is an important de facto conservation unit, which the ASA has shown through our research and monitoring projects to be of exceptionally high biodiversity value. Furthermore, the Corridor serves as a critical biological link connecting plant and animal populations in the region's most important protected area complexes, including the Manu-Alto Purus-Amarakaeri complex to the northwest and the Tambopata-Bahuaja Sonene-Madidi complex to the southeast.