Bahuaja-Sonene National Park
Encyclopedia
The Bahuaja-Sonene National Park is located in south-eastern Peru
. It contains the tropical forests and tropical foothills of Puno
, dwarf forests, and the Heath Pampas. It was created in July 1996 out of the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone
and expanded on Sept. 5, 2000.
, Inambari
and Madre de Dios
rivers, while several rivers including the Tambopata
, la Torre, and Candamo flow through the park. It is bordered by Bolivia
to the east near the Madidi National Park and the Tambopata National Reserve to the north.
, Bolivian Yungas
, and Peruvian Yungas
ecoregion
s.
The park contains some 20,000 plant species, at least 600 bird species, and 174 species of mammals, 100 reptiles and amphibians, 232 fish and 1,200 butterfly. Rare species include the Giant Otter
, Spectacled Bear
, Black Caiman
, Marsh Deer
, and the Maned Wolf
.
The park is rich in natural resources including timber, gold, rubber, and wild game. The Candamo deposit (Block 78), which contains 3 Tcuft of natural gas and 120 million of barrels of natural gas condensate
s, was formerly owned by Mobil
and now lies partly within the reserve. Legislation proposed in 2007 to remove the block from the reserve was turned down.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It contains the tropical forests and tropical foothills of Puno
Puno
Puno is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 100,000. The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of...
, dwarf forests, and the Heath Pampas. It was created in July 1996 out of the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone
Tambopata-Candamo
Tambopata-Candamo is a nature reserve in the Peruvian Amazon Basin south of the Madre de Dios River in Tambopata Province's Inambari and Tambopata districts...
and expanded on Sept. 5, 2000.
Geography
The park is surrounded by the HeathHeath River
The Heath River, which runs from the Andes surrounding Lake Titicaca northwards to the Madre de Dios River, marks the natural border between Peru and Bolivia.The Eja Sonene indigenous community lives in the area...
, Inambari
Inambari River
The Inambari River in southeastern Peru flows from the Cordillera Apolobamba in the Andes to the Madre de Dios River. The river spans the Puno and Madre de Dios regions....
and Madre de Dios
Madre de Dios River
The Madre de Dios River, homonymous to the Peruvian region it runs through, then becomes the Beni River in Bolivia and then turns northward into Brazil, where it is called the Madeira River...
rivers, while several rivers including the Tambopata
Tambopata River
The Tambopata River in the Madre de Dios Region flows from the eastern slope of the Andes along the border of the Puno Region to the Madre de Dios River at the capital city of Puerto Maldonado. The river flows through the Tambopata National Reserve....
, la Torre, and Candamo flow through the park. It is bordered by Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
to the east near the Madidi National Park and the Tambopata National Reserve to the north.
Biodiversity
The park protects parts of the Southwest Amazon moist forestsSouthwest Amazon moist forests
Southwest Amazon moist forests are an ecoregion located in the Upper Amazon Basin. The region is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with alluvial plains dissected by undulating hills or high terraces. The biota of the southwest Amazon moist forest is very rich because of these dramatic...
, Bolivian Yungas
Bolivian Yungas
The Bolivian Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of central Bolivia and eastern Peru.-Setting:The ecoregion occurs in elevations ranging from on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Bolivia...
, and Peruvian Yungas
Peruvian Yungas
The Peruvian Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of Peru.-Setting:The Peruvian Yungas occur on the eastern slopes and valleys of the Peruvian Andes...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s.
The park contains some 20,000 plant species, at least 600 bird species, and 174 species of mammals, 100 reptiles and amphibians, 232 fish and 1,200 butterfly. Rare species include the Giant Otter
Giant Otter
The giant otter is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the Mustelidae, or weasel family, a globally successful group of predators. Unusually for a mustelid, the giant otter is a social species, with family groups typically supporting three to eight members...
, Spectacled Bear
Spectacled Bear
The spectacled bear , also known as the Andean bear and locally as ukuko, jukumari or ucumari, is the last remaining short-faced bear and the closest living relative to the Florida spectacled bear and short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age.The spectacled bear is a...
, Black Caiman
Black Caiman
The black caiman is a crocodilian. It is a carnivorous reptile that lives along slow-moving rivers and lakes, in the seasonally flooded savannas of the Amazon basin, and in other freshwater habitats in South America. Once common, it was hunted to near extinction primarily for its commercially...
, Marsh Deer
Marsh Deer
The Marsh Deer, Blastocerus dichotomus , is the largest deer species from South America reaching a length of and a height of at the rump. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
, and the Maned Wolf
Maned Wolf
The maned wolf is the largest canid of South America, resembling a large fox with reddish fur.This mammal is found in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in south, central-west and south-eastern Brazil The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the...
.
The park is rich in natural resources including timber, gold, rubber, and wild game. The Candamo deposit (Block 78), which contains 3 Tcuft of natural gas and 120 million of barrels of natural gas condensate
Natural gas condensate
Natural-gas condensate is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from many natural gas fields....
s, was formerly owned by Mobil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
and now lies partly within the reserve. Legislation proposed in 2007 to remove the block from the reserve was turned down.
Climate
The park is largely tropical and subtropical, with sub-level to high-level humidity. The average annual temperature is 26 °C (78.8 °F). The rainy season is between December and March. Average annual rainfall is 1600 millimetres (63 in) to 2400 millimetres (94.5 in).See also
- Thomsen, JB.;Mitchell, C.;Piland, R.; Donnaway, JR. Monitoring impact of hydrocarbon exploration in sensitive terrestrial ecosystems: perspectives from Block 78 in Peru. In: Bowles IA, Prickett GT. , editors. Footprints in the jungle. New York: Oxford University Press; 2001. p. 332.
External links
- Parque Nacional Bahuaja Sonene – Official INRENA Website
- Tambopata National Reserve and Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. Parkswatch.org
- Bahuaja Sonene
- Bahuaja Sonene map hosted by Building Informed Civic Engagement for Conservation in the Andes-Amazon (BICECA)