Rio Abiseo National Park
Encyclopedia
The Rio Abiseo National Park is located in the San Martín department of Peru. UNESCO
pronounced it as Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity (World Heritage Site
) in 1990. The park is home to a large number of species of flora and fauna, as well as the location of over 30 pre-Columbian
archaeological sites. Since 1986, the park has not been open to tourism due to the fragile nature of both the natural and archaeological environment.
of Peru between the Marañón and Huallaga
rivers, the park has an area of approximately 2,745.2 square kilometres. The park covers 70% of the Abiseo river basin. Elevations reach as high as 4,200 meters (13,780 ft) above sea level and as low as 350 m (1,150 ft).
The part protects three distinct ecoregion
s: Ucayali moist forests at lower elevations, Peruvian Yungas
at middle elevations, and Cordillera Central páramo at the highest elevations.
There are at least seven climate zones in the park, including montane forest, tropical alpine forest, montane rainforest, high Andean grasslands (puna), and dry forest. Rainfall ranges from 20 to 80 inches (2 m) per annum. The montane cloud forest, composing most of the park area, is a high-altitude rainforest with short trees, moss and lichen. This ecosystem occurs above the altitude of about 2,300 meters (7,550 ft). High humidity is constant and rain falls throughout the year, particularly at the higher elevations. The soil is acidic.
(Oreonax flavicauda), previously thought to be extinct, is known to live in the park and appears to be endemic
to the region. It was mostly due to this monkey's critically endangered status
that the area gained national park status and was placed on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1983.
Other fauna in the park includes:
There are 980 known species of plants documented in the highlands of the park, 13 of which are endemic, and 5000 species of plants in the area of the Rio Abiseo.
, a ruined settlement atop a forested ridge overlooking the Montecristo River canyon. Nearby are the ruins of Los Pinchudos
a series of cliff tombs discovered by Pataz villagers in the early 1970s. Gran Pajatén, Los Pinchudos and other archaeological remains identified in the park are usually attributed to the Chachapoyas culture
. The most extensive archaeological work done in Rio Abiseo Park was led by the University of Colorado
during the mid-1980s.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
pronounced it as Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity (World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
) in 1990. The park is home to a large number of species of flora and fauna, as well as the location of over 30 pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
archaeological sites. Since 1986, the park has not been open to tourism due to the fragile nature of both the natural and archaeological environment.
Geography and climate
Located in the San Martín RegionSan Martín Region
San Martín is a region in northern Peru. Most of the region is located in the upper part of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Its capital is Moyobamba and the largest city in the region is Tarapoto.-Boundaries:* North and East: Loreto Region...
of Peru between the Marañón and Huallaga
Huallaga River
The Huallaga River is a tributary of the Marañón River, part of the Amazon Basin. Old names for this river include Guallaga and Rio de los Motilones. The Huallaga is born on the slopes of the Andes in central Peru and joins the Marañón before the latter reaches the Ucayali River to form the Amazon....
rivers, the park has an area of approximately 2,745.2 square kilometres. The park covers 70% of the Abiseo river basin. Elevations reach as high as 4,200 meters (13,780 ft) above sea level and as low as 350 m (1,150 ft).
The part protects three distinct 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: Ucayali moist forests at lower elevations, 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...
at middle elevations, and Cordillera Central páramo at the highest elevations.
There are at least seven climate zones in the park, including montane forest, tropical alpine forest, montane rainforest, high Andean grasslands (puna), and dry forest. Rainfall ranges from 20 to 80 inches (2 m) per annum. The montane cloud forest, composing most of the park area, is a high-altitude rainforest with short trees, moss and lichen. This ecosystem occurs above the altitude of about 2,300 meters (7,550 ft). High humidity is constant and rain falls throughout the year, particularly at the higher elevations. The soil is acidic.
Wildlife
The Yellow-tailed Woolly MonkeyYellow-tailed Woolly Monkey
The yellow-tailed woolly monkey is a New World monkey endemic to Peru. It is a rare primate species found only in the Peruvian Andes, in the departments of Amazonas and San Martin as well as bordering areas of La Libertad, Huanuco and Loreto...
(Oreonax flavicauda), previously thought to be extinct, is known to live in the park and appears to be endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the region. It was mostly due to this monkey's critically endangered status
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
that the area gained national park status and was placed on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1983.
Other fauna in the park includes:
- Andean guanCracidaeThe chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae.These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. One species, the Plain Chachalaca, just reaches southernmost Texas in the USA...
, Penelope montagnii - Venezuelan Red HowlerVenezuelan Red HowlerThe Venezuelan red howler is a South American species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is found in the western Amazon Basin in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil...
, Alouatta seniculus - White-fronted Spider MonkeyWhite-fronted Spider MonkeyThe 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...
, Ateles belzebuth (endangered) - 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 - King VultureKing VultureThe King Vulture is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, though some believe that William Bartram's Painted...
, Sarcoramphus papa - Three-striped Night MonkeyThree-striped Night MonkeyThe three-striped night monkey , also known as northern night monkey or northern owl monkey, is one of several species of owl monkeys currently recognised. It is found in Venezuela and north-central Brazil....
, Aotus trivirgatus - CurassawCracidaeThe chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae.These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. One species, the Plain Chachalaca, just reaches southernmost Texas in the USA...
, Crax salvini - Peruvian Guemal, Hippocamelus antisensis (endangered)
- Mountain pacaAgouti (genus)The genus Cuniculus contains the two species of pacas. It is the only genus in the family Cuniculidae.-Species:* Cuniculus hernandezi*Lowland Paca, Cuniculus paca*Mountain Paca, Cuniculus taczanowskii...
or Punatuacher, Agouti tazcanowskii (endangered) - Southern PochardSouthern PochardThe Southern Pochard is a duck.There are two subspecies, the South American Pochard N. e. erythrophthalma and the African Pochard N. e...
duck, NettaNettaNetta is a genus of diving ducks. Unlike other diving ducks, the Netta species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks.These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh water...
erythrophthalma - Spectacled bearTremarctosTremarctos is a genus of the family Ursidae, subfamily Tremarctinae endemic to Americas from the Pliocene to recent. The northern species, the Florida short-faced bear was extinct 11 000 years ago...
, Tremarctos ornatus (endangered) - Turkey vultureTurkey VultureThe Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
, Cathartes aura - White-fronted CapuchinWhite-fronted CapuchinThe white-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons, is a species of capuchin monkey, a type of New World primate, found in seven different countries in South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago...
, Cebus albifrons cuscinus - Yellow head parrot, Amazona ochrocephala
- Russet-mantled softtailOvenbird (family)Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found in Mexico, and Central and South America. They form the family Furnariidae...
, Phacellodomus berlepschi (endangered) - Yellow-browed ToucanetYellow-browed ToucanetThe Yellow-browed Toucanet is a rare species of bird in the Ramphastidae family. Among the least known members of the family, it is endemic to humid forests growing on the east Andean slope in northern Peru. It is threatened by habitat loss, and consequently considered endangered by BirdLife...
(endangered)
There are 980 known species of plants documented in the highlands of the park, 13 of which are endemic, and 5000 species of plants in the area of the Rio Abiseo.
Archaeology
The most famous archaeological site in the Rio Abiseo park is Gran PajaténGran Pajáten
Gran Pajatén is an archaeological site located in the Andean cloud forests of Peru, on the border of the La Libertad region and the San Martín region, between the Marañon and Huallaga rivers. The archaeological site lies in the Rio Abiseo National Park, which was established in 1983. The park was...
, a ruined settlement atop a forested ridge overlooking the Montecristo River canyon. Nearby are the ruins of Los Pinchudos
Los Pinchudos
Los Pinchudos is an elaborate Chachapoya tomb complex, perched into a high rock cleft in one of Peru's northern Andean cloud forests. Los Pinchudos is located in Río Abiseo National Park, a natural and cultural World Heritage Site, guarded and closed to all except scientific missions...
a series of cliff tombs discovered by Pataz villagers in the early 1970s. Gran Pajatén, Los Pinchudos and other archaeological remains identified in the park are usually attributed to the Chachapoyas culture
Chachapoyas culture
The Chachapoyas, also called the Warriors of the Clouds, were an Andean people living in the cloud forests of the Amazonas region of present-day Peru. The Incas conquered their civilization shortly before the arrival of the Spanish in Peru. When the Spanish arrived in Peru in the 16th century, the...
. The most extensive archaeological work done in Rio Abiseo Park was led by the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
during the mid-1980s.
See also
- Iperu, tourist information and assistanceIperu, tourist information and assistanceIperú, Tourist Information and Assistance, or simply iperú is the free tourism office provided by the Peruvian government through the Commission for the Promotion of Export and Tourism Peru and the National Institute for Defense Competition and Protection of...
- Tourism in PeruTourism in PeruTourism in Peru make up the nation's third largest industry, behind fishing and mining. Tourism is directed towards archeological monuments, ecotourism in the Peruvian Amazon, cultural tourism in colonial cities, gastronomic tourism, adventure tourism, and beach tourism. According to a Peruvian...
- Woolly monkeyWoolly monkeyThe woolly monkeys are the genus Lagothrix of New World monkeys, usually placed in the family Atelidae.There are four species of woolly monkey. All originate from the rainforests of South America...