Peruvian Indigenous communities have shown themselves to be exceptional environmental and conservation leaders. Their leaders have worked for a decade to ensure a government commitment to conserve 54 million hectares of forest, as a part of the REDD+ program. REDD+ includes country efforts to: reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; foster conservation and sustainable management of forests; and enhance forest carbon stocks. This program, first negotiated over a decade ago, encourages richer countries to pay developing countries to limit deforestation and forest degradation.