Podocarpus National Park
Encyclopedia
Podocarpus National Park is a national park
located in the provinces of Zamora Chinchipe and Loja
, in the south-east of Ecuador
. It was created in 1982.
It covers 1462.80 km², from two spurs of the eastern range of the Andes
to the basins of the Nangaritza, Numbala and Loyola rivers. About 85% of the park is in the province of Zamora Chinchipe and the remainder in the province of Loja. It is categorized as a megadiverse zone and an area with a high level of endemic species because is is a meeting point between four ecological systems: Northern Andes, Southern Andes, Amazonian and Pacific ecosystems.
The Podocarpus National Park contains a complex of more than 100 lagoons, among the best-known being the Lagunas del Compadre. Also there are waterfalls, and several classes of mammals and plants. Some unique biological adaptations have developed within the park, especially amongst birds.
The park has two main entrances corresponding to its two ecological zones. One is in 'Cajanuma Sector' in the high zone. The other is in 'Bombuscaro Sector', corresponding to the Bombuscaro River in the low zone. There are two alternative entrances in the high zone of the province of Zamora Chinchipe and in the 'Romerillos Sector', corresponding to the Jamboé River, and another less well-known one by Toledo Hill on the Yangana-Valladolid route.
- the national tree of Ecuador - and a huge variety of orchids.
Due to the low elevation of the land, specific differences exist between the vegetation of the desert zone and the north of the country, and the mountain-tops and the undeveloped zone of transition to true desert.
Among the main species found in the region are chilca (Baccharis
sp.), laurel
, San Pedro cactus, uvilla
, Black Elder, pumamaqui (Oreopanax
sp.), sappanwood
, arrayán
, cashoco, alder
, acacia
, sage, guato blanco, cedar
, castor-oil plant, walnut
, yumbingue (Terminalia guyanensis) and canelón (Swartzia littlei
).
Other notable mammals include:
There are also 560 registered species of birds which is 6% of all birds registered worldwide and 40% of the birds registered in Ecuador. For this reason it was identified in 1995 by Wedge and Long as one of the important areas for the conservation of neotropic birds.
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...
located in the provinces of Zamora Chinchipe and Loja
Loja Province
Loja Province is one of 24 provinces in Ecuador and shares its southern border on the west by El Oro Province, on the north by El Azuay, and on the east by Zamora-Chinchipe. Founded on its present site in 1548 by Captain Alonso de Mercadillo the site had been previously moved and rebuilt from La...
, in the south-east of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. It was created in 1982.
It covers 1462.80 km², from two spurs of the eastern range of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
to the basins of the Nangaritza, Numbala and Loyola rivers. About 85% of the park is in the province of Zamora Chinchipe and the remainder in the province of Loja. It is categorized as a megadiverse zone and an area with a high level of endemic species because is is a meeting point between four ecological systems: Northern Andes, Southern Andes, Amazonian and Pacific ecosystems.
The Podocarpus National Park contains a complex of more than 100 lagoons, among the best-known being the Lagunas del Compadre. Also there are waterfalls, and several classes of mammals and plants. Some unique biological adaptations have developed within the park, especially amongst birds.
The park has two main entrances corresponding to its two ecological zones. One is in 'Cajanuma Sector' in the high zone. The other is in 'Bombuscaro Sector', corresponding to the Bombuscaro River in the low zone. There are two alternative entrances in the high zone of the province of Zamora Chinchipe and in the 'Romerillos Sector', corresponding to the Jamboé River, and another less well-known one by Toledo Hill on the Yangana-Valladolid route.
Flora
The park contains an exceptional flora, and has been considered the 'Botanical Garden of America'. Its high and low mountain-forest ecosystems, located in the Nudo de Sabanilla pass, and its very humid mountain and premontane forests in the basin of the Numbala River, have more than 4,000 species of plants including trees that can measure up to 40 meters, like the romerillo (Podocarpus glometatus) which gives its name to the park, and many other valuable species like the CinchonaCinchona
Cinchona or Quina is a genus of about 38 species in the family Rubiaceae, native to tropical South America. They are large shrubs or small trees growing 5–15 metres in height with evergreen foliage. The leaves are opposite, rounded to lanceolate and 10–40 cm long. The flowers are white, pink...
- the national tree of Ecuador - and a huge variety of orchids.
Due to the low elevation of the land, specific differences exist between the vegetation of the desert zone and the north of the country, and the mountain-tops and the undeveloped zone of transition to true desert.
Among the main species found in the region are chilca (Baccharis
Baccharis
Baccharis is a genus of perennials and shrubs in the aster family . They are commonly known as baccharises but sometimes referred to as "brooms", because many members have small thin leaves resembling the true brooms. They are not at all related to these however, but belong to an entirely...
sp.), laurel
Laurel
-Botany:* Laurel family , a group of flowering plants** Azores laurel ** Bay Laurel , also called True Laurel** California Laurel ** Camphor Laurel...
, San Pedro cactus, uvilla
Uvilla
Uvilla is a name that has been used for a number of different plants:*Coccoloba costata*Physalis peruviana*Pourouma cecropiifolia*Ribes magellanicumIt can also refer to the following places:...
, Black Elder, pumamaqui (Oreopanax
Oreopanax
Oreopanax is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Araliaceae, comprising between 80 and 150 species depending on source. They are native to the Americas, with a range extending from Mexico and the Antilles to Argentina and Brazil, with most species occurring above 500 m.a.s.l. Sinopanax was...
sp.), sappanwood
Sappanwood
Caesalpinia sappan is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is native to Southeast Asia and the Malay archipelago. Common names include Sappanwood, Sapanwood, and Suou . Sappanwood belongs to the same genus as Brazilwood , and was originally called "brezel wood" in...
, arrayán
Arrayán
-Plants:* In Spain, it refers to the Myrtaceae shrub Myrtus communis * In Argentina and Chile, it refers to the Myrtaceae shrub Luma apiculata * In Colombia, it refers to the Vochysiaceae tree Qualea ingens...
, cashoco, alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, sage, guato blanco, cedar
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
, castor-oil plant, walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
, yumbingue (Terminalia guyanensis) and canelón (Swartzia littlei
Swartzia littlei
Swartzia littlei is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family.It is endemic and found only in Ecuador.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
).
Fauna
There are 40 species of mammals registered in the park. 4 of then are on Ecuador's "Red List" as either endangered or vulnerable:- Mountain TapirMountain TapirThe Mountain Tapir or Woolly Tapir is the smallest of the four species of tapir and is the only one to live outside of tropical rainforests in the wild...
(Tapirus pinchaque) - Spectacled BearSpectacled BearThe 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...
(Tremarctos ornatus) - Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles)
- JaguarJaguarThe jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
(Panthera onca)
Other notable mammals include:
- Amazonian hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus semistriatus)
- Common Grey Shrew Opposum (Caenolestes fuliginosus)
There are also 560 registered species of birds which is 6% of all birds registered worldwide and 40% of the birds registered in Ecuador. For this reason it was identified in 1995 by Wedge and Long as one of the important areas for the conservation of neotropic birds.