The Farallones de Cali National Natural Park is the largest national park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

 in the Valle del Cauca Department

Valle del Cauca Department

Valle del Cauca is a department of Colombia. It is in the western side of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean, and it is considered one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia. Its capital is Santiago de Cali...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

. More than 30 rivers that supply the southwestern Colombia with water originate here. It is located around the area of the city of Cali

Santiago de Cali

Santiago de Cali , simply referred to as Cali, is a city in western Colombia and the capital of the Valle del Cauca Department. With a population of 2.5 million, Cali is the third largest city in the country. It has one of the fastest growing economies and infrastructure in the country because...

, in the Cordillera Occidental range.

The ecosystems in the park face several threats including commercial logging, agriculture, tourism, forest fires, hunting and road construction.

Climate

Average yearly rainfall is 6000 mm in the southwestern region and 2000–2500 mm in the Los Farallones

Farallones de Cali

Farallones de Cali is a mountain in the West Andes of Colombia. It is considered the highest point in the West Andes at 4100 MASL. Farallones de Cali National Natural Park encompasses the mountain and much of the surrounding area...

 sector. Plants growing in the area have sufficient water throughout the year.

Flora and fauna

Farallones de Cali is a sanctuary for endemic and endangered species due to the variety brought by different elevations found in the park. The park includes four types of natural vegetation: humid sub-Andean forest, between 200 m (656.2 ft) and 1000 m (3,280.8 ft) above sea level, characterized by tall rain forest trees and a canopy reaching up to 40 m (131.2 ft).; wet Andean forest, between 1200 m (3,937 ft) and 2000 m (6,561.7 ft), dominated by Andean Oak

Quercus humboldtii

Quercus humboldtii, commonly known as the Andean Oak, Colombian Oak or Roble, is a species of oak in the Fagaceae family. It is endemic to the highlands of northern South America, with an altitudinal range from 1,000 to 3,200 m...

; wet High-Andean forest (between 2000 m (6,561.7 ft) and 3500 m (11,482.9 ft)), with a large number of epiphyte

Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...

s; and páramo

Páramo

The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...

 at altitudes over 3500 m (11,482.9 ft).

Parque Nacional Natural Farallones de Cali is home to over 300 species of birds, including several endemic species, and several species of mammals: from small bats to pumas, panthers, ocelots, foxes and 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...

s; and five primates: Tufted Capuchin

Tufted Capuchin

The tufted capuchin , also known as brown capuchin or black-capped capuchin is a New World primate from South America...

, Howler monkey

Howler monkey

Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests...

, Gray-bellied Night Monkey

Gray-bellied Night Monkey

The gray-bellied night monkey , also called the lemurine owl monkey, is a small New World monkey of the family Aotidae...

, Mantled Howler

Mantled Howler

The mantled howler , or golden-mantled howling monkey, is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America...

 and White-fronted Spider Monkey

White-fronted Spider Monkey

The white-fronted spider monkey , also known as the long-haired or white-bellied spider monkey, is an endangered species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is found in the north-western Amazon in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil, ranging as far south as the lower Ucayali...

.

External links

• The park's page at Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia