Cutervo National Park (), established in 1961, is the oldest protected area in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. It is located in the northern Peruvian Andes, in the region of Cajamarca. The park was extended to and protects areas of Andean

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

and paramo for

headwater The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

conservation. Moreover, those areas are the habitat of animal species like the spectacled bear, the

mountain tapir The mountain tapir, also known as the Andean tapir or woolly tapir (''Tapirus pinchaque'') is the smallest of the four widely recognized species of tapir. It is the only one to live outside of tropical rainforests in the wild. It is most easily d ...

, and the

oilbird The oilbird (''Steatornis caripensis''), locally known as the , is a bird species found in the northern areas of South America including the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the only species in the genus ''Steatornis'', the family Steatornith ...

; and plant species like the Andean wax palms.

History

Human occupation in the area dates back to the

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

era. Archaeological remains are present inside the national park, primarily within the El Perolito Archaeological Site. Following the 8th

Pan-American Conference The Conferences of American States, commonly referred to as the Pan-American Conferences, were meetings of the Pan-American Union, an international organization for cooperation on trade. James G. Blaine, a United States politician, Secretary ...

in 1938 held in Lima, the nature conservationist society ''Comité Nacional de Protección a la Naturaleza'' (National Committee of Nature Protection) was founded, which included the Federación Cultural de Cutervo-Lima (Cultural Federation of Cutervo in Lima). Federación Cultural de Cutervo-Lima submitted a project for a national park near

Cutervo Cutervo is a town in northern Peru, capital of both Cutervo District and Cutervo Province The Cutervo Province is one of the thirteen that make up the Cajamarca Region of Peru. It is the home of the Cutervo National Park. It has a population of ...

to the Ministry of Agriculture that was dismissed. Biologist Salomon Vilchez Murga, as deputy for the region of Cajamarca, presented a project to the congress for the creation of Cutervo National Park, which passed as law 13694 on September 8, 1961, and took effect 12 days later on September 20. The park was created with a surface of . A proposal to increase the park area was submitted in 2000. Law 28860 expanded the area of the park to the current on August 3, 2006. In 2007, a buffer zone surrounding the national park was created in order to diminish pressure and threats to the ecosystems inside the park.

Geography

Cutervo National Park is located in the districts of San Andres de Cutervo, Santo Domingo de la Capilla, Callayuc, Santa Cruz de Cutervo, Pimpingos and Santo Tomas de Aquino; which belong to the

Cutervo Province The Cutervo Province is one of the thirteen that make up the Cajamarca Region of Peru. It is the home of the Cutervo National Park. It has a population of 162,686 and an area . Political division It is divided into fifteen districts: * Cutervo * ...

, within the region of

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...

. The park's are divided in the Northern sector with and the Southern sector with . The buffer zone surrounding the park comprises an area of . The most prominent geographical feature, at the highest elevation in the park, is the mountain range ''Cordillera de Tarros.'' This mountain has several caves and is the origin of several streams. Elevations inside the park range between 1550 and 3500 meters above sea level. Cutervo National Park 1

Ecology

The park protects part of the

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. They form a transition zone between the Southwes ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

. A variety of ecological communities exist within the park including wet montane forests, high-elevation grasslands above 3000 m, rivers, and small lakes.

Flora

Over seven hundred species of

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...

s have been recorded in the park. Many are broadleaved trees (e.g.: ''

Chionanthus pubescens ''Chionanthus pubescens'' is a tree in the family Oleaceae. It grows as a deciduous species and is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental tree. Distribution and habitat ''Chionanthus pubescens'' is native to Ecuador and Peru , image_flag ...

Cornus peruviana ''Cornus peruviana'' is a species of tree in the family Cornaceae native to montane forests of southern Central America and western South America, from Costa Rica and Venezuela south to Bolivia. Description ''Cornus peruviana'' is a small to a l ...

'', ''Hedyosmum scabrum'', ''Morus insignis, Ocotea arnottiana'', ''

Prunus integrifolia ''Prunus integrifolia'' is a tree native to mountain forests of western South America. It has much larger leaves than most other species in the genus, up to long, with no teeth along the edges. The flowers are in an elongated raceme, rising ve ...

'', ''

Polylepis multijuga ''Polylepis multijuga'' is a species of plant in the family Rosaceae. It is endemic to montane forests in the Peruvian Northern Andes, between 2700 and 3600 meters above sea level. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also ...

'', ''

Vallea stipularis ''Vallea stipularis'' is a species of tree in the Elaeocarpaceae family. It is native from the Andes mountains in South America. Description Evergreen shrub or tree up to 18 meters tall; fissured bark. Kidney-shaped stipules on branchlets. Leaves ...

'', etc.), conifer (''

Podocarpus oleifolius ''Podocarpus oleifolius'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. ''Podocarpus oleifolius'' contains one sub ...

'') and palm trees (e.g.: '' Ceroxylon spp.'').

Orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

are represented by 88 recorded

morphospecies In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

Fauna

The park is home to mammal species facing risk of extinction such as the

neotropical otter The Neotropical otter or Neotropical river otter (''Lontra longicaudis'') is an otter species found in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the island of Trinidad. It is physically similar to the northern and southern river otter, which o ...

, the

, the spectacled bear, the

mountain paca The mountain paca (''Cuniculus taczanowskii'') is a small burrow-dwelling rodent whose habitats are high altitude South American forests. Pacas are nocturnal, sedentary, and solitary animals with territorial tendencies. It eats mostly fruits and ...

, the

giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecopha ...

, and a species of wild cat (''

Leopardus colocolo The Pampas cat (''Leopardus colocola'') is a small wild cat native to South America. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as habitat conversion and destruction may cause the population to decline in the future. It is named after ...

''). Bird species like the

, the

golden-headed quetzal The golden-headed quetzal or corequenque (''Pharomachrus auriceps'') is a strikingly coloured bird in the genus ''Pharomachrus''; it is also referred to as ''Trogon auriceps''. It is found in moist mid-elevation forests from eastern Panama to nor ...

, and the

Andean cock-of-the-rock The Andean cock-of-the-rock (''Rupicola peruvianus''), also known as ''tunki'' (Quechua), is a large passerine bird of the cotinga family native to Andean cloud forests in South America. It is widely regarded as the national bird of Peru. It has ...

are also live within the park. A species of

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

('' Astroblepus rosei'') can be seen in the underground streams of the caves inside the park.

Climate

Forests in the area are covered by clouds and fog almost year-round. The park's average annual rainfall is more than , and the maximum annual rainfall is almost . The temperature is between at 1000–2000 meters, between at 2000–2500 meters, and between at 2500–3500 meters. Cutervo National Park 2

Recreation

Camping and hiking are the most popular activities in the park, especially between July and October. While there are several caves inside the park, the most visited by tourists are Gruta de los Guácharos (Oilbird Cave), Gruta Blanca (White Cave), and Gruta del Murciélago (Bats' Cave).

Stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

s and

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

s are present in all the caves. Some caves have underground streams home to the rare catfish species ''Astroblepus rosei''. The palm tree forests produce ample fruit that attracts oilbirds.

Páramo Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

mountaintops have both grassland and lakes.

Environmental issues

The main threats to the park's biodiversity are wood extraction and forest clearing for agriculture and pastures. A large issue is the rejection by some local inhabitants of the new park boundaries.

References

External links

Cutervo National Park. Official site (in Spanish)

Cutervo National Park. Map.Cutervo National Park. Profile at protectedplanet.net
{{authority control National parks of Peru Protected areas established in 1961 Geography of Cajamarca Region Tourist attractions in Cajamarca Region