Cordillera Azul National Park () is a 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 = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. It protects part of the Ucayali moist forests ecoregion.

History

In 1963, the Biavo-Cordillera Azul National Forest was established, spanning 2,178,000 hectares. In 1997, this area is declared as a forest for timber production, leaving it open to logging operations. However, in 1999, Red Ambiental Peruana (an alliance of several NGOs) and COPRI (the authority for rights for timber exploitation) conduct research in the area and agree to protect the northern part of the forest due to its high biodiversity. In 2000, the Cordillera Azul Reserved Zone is established on the mountainous part of the national forest, and a team from the Field Museum begins an assessment of the biodiversity in the area. Based on such assessment, the Peruvian

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

recommends the area is protected as a national park. The Cordillera Azul National Park was established in 2001 during the tenure of president

Valentín Paniagua Valentín Toribio Demetrio Agustin Paniagua Corazao (23 September 1936 – 16 October 2006) was a Peruvian lawyer and politician who briefly served as President of Peru from 2000 to 2001. Elected President of Congress on 16 November 2000, he ...

Geography

''Cordillera Azul National Park'' is located in the regions of San Martin, Loreto, Huanuco and Ucayali; between the Huallaga and

Ucayali The Ucayali River ( es, Río Ucayali, ) is the main headstream of the Amazon River. It rises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of Peru and becomes the Amazon at the confluence of the Marañón close to Nauta city. The city ...

rivers. Elevations in the park are in the range of 100–2350 m, and the main landscape features are: mountains, hills and ample valleys. Mountains inside the park can have steep slopes, and landslides are frequent. In the southern section of the park, there is an area of highland swamps, at 1400 m of elevation. At the northern end of the park, the Huallaga river opens a

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a prac ...

in the mountain range, east of Chazuta, this feature is known as Pongo de Aguirre.

Ecology

Flora

Montane forests cover most of the park's area, although it also includes sections of dry forest to the west and lowland Amazon rainforest to the east. Among the plant species found in the area are: ''

Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...

insignis,

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extendi ...

'' spp''.,

Tabernaemontana sananho ''Tabernaemontana sananho'' is a tropical tree species in the family Apocynaceae known as lobo sanango. Lobo sanango grows in the Amazon Basin of northern South America. Chemical composition The plant is reported to contain coronaridine, 3-h ...

Inga ''Inga'' is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing treesElkan, Daniel. "Slash-and-burn farming has become a major threat to the world's rainforest" ''The Guardian'' 21 April 2004 and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. ''Inga''s ...

'' spp.'', Swietenia macrophylla,'' '' Triplaris americana,

Miconia ''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name ...

'' spp., ''

Couroupita guianensis ''Couroupita guianensis'', known by a variety of common names including cannonball tree, is a deciduous tree in the flowering plant family Lecythidaceae. It is native to the tropical forests of Central and South America, and it is cultivated in m ...

Ocotea ''Ocotea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. Many are evergreen trees with lauroid leaves. There are over 520 species currently accepted within the genus, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical areas of ...

javitensis,'' ''

Schefflera ''Schefflera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae. With an estimated 600–900 species, the genus represents about half of its family. The plants are trees, shrubs or lianas, growing tall, with woody stems, the absence of a ...

'' spp., '' Erythrina ulei'', '' Alchornea triplinervia,

Terminalia amazonia ''Terminalia amazonia'' is a species of tree in the Combretaceae family. It is native to North America and South America and has been used for commercial logging. The wood is hard and durable. In Belize, ''Terminalia amazonia'' is widely located ...

, Calophyllum brasiliense,

Pouteria ''Pouteria'' is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical regions of the world. It includes the canistel ('' P. campechiana''), the mamey sapote ('' P. sapota''), and the l ...

'' spp''., Cedrela fissilis,

Epidendrum ''Epidendrum'' , abbreviated Epi in the horticultural trade, is a large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,500 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name (from Greek ''επί, epi'' and ''δένδρο ...

'' spp''., Schizolobium parahyba,

Bactris gasipaes ''Bactris gasipaes'' is a species of palm native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. It is well spread in these regions, where it is often cultivated by smallholders in agroforestry systems or more rarely, in monoculture. Commo ...

Cecropia ''Cecropia'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of 61 recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees. The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics, with the majority of the speci ...

'' spp., '' Hevea guianensis'', '' Dracontium spruceanum,

Attalea maripa ''Attalea maripa'', commonly called maripa palm is a palm native to tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It grows up tall and can have leaves or fronds long. This plant has a yellow edible fruit which is oblong ovoid and cream. An ...

, Brosimum alicastrum, Asplenium serratum,

Heliconia rostrata ''Heliconia rostrata'', the hanging lobster claw or false bird of paradise, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, and naturalized in Puerto Rico. Other heliconias g ...

Carludovica palmata ''Carludovica palmata'' (Panama hat plant or toquilla palm) is a palm-like monocot plant. It is not a true palm. Its leaves are different from the leaves of true palms, and unlike true palms it does not develop a woody trunk. Its female flowe ...

Solanum grandiflorum ''Solanum grandiflorum'' is an evergreen tree or treelet native to the wet lowland forests of the Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin cove ...

, Geogenanthus poeppigii,

Myroxylon balsamum ''Myroxylon balsamum'', Santos mahogany, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to tropical forests from Southern Mexico through the Amazon regions of Peru and Brazil at elevations of . Plants are found growing in well d ...

, Brunfelsia grandiflora, Calycophyllum spruceanum'', ''

Mauritia flexuosa ''Mauritia flexuosa'', known as the moriche palm, ''ité'' palm, ''ita'', ''buriti'', ''muriti'', ''miriti'' (Brazil), ''canangucho'' (Colombia), ''acho'' (Ecuador), or ''aguaje'' (Peru), is a palm tree. It grows in and near swamps and other wet ...

'', ''

Virola calophylla ''Virola calophylla'' is a species of tree in the family Myristicaceae. It is native to Central America and South America, namely Panama, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia ( Department of Amazonas, Department of Vaupés), Ecuador ( Nap ...

, Desmoncus polyacanthos, Podocarpus oleifolius,

Theobroma cacao ''Theobroma cacao'', also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small ( tall) evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate. The largest pr ...

, Cedrelinga cateniformis, Zamia poeppigiana,

Amburana cearensis ''Amburana cearensis'' (Portuguese common names; ambaúrana, amburana, amburana de cheiro, angelim, baru, cabocla, cerejeira rajada, cumaré, cumaru, cumaru de cheiro, cumaru do ceará, cumbaru das caatingas, emburana, emburana de cheiro, imbura ...

'', ''

Margaritaria nobilis ''Margaritaria nobilis'', also known as bastard hogberry, is a fruit-bearing plant found in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Oc ...

, Jacaranda copaia,'' ''

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

'' spp., ''

Spondias mombin ''Spondias mombin'', also known as yellow mombin or hog plum is a species of tree and flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas, including the West Indies. The tree was introduced by the Portuguese in Sou ...

,'' ''

Maxillaria ''Maxillaria'', abbreviated as Max in the horticultural trade, is a large genus of orchids (family Orchidaceae). This is a diverse genus, with very different morphological forms. Their characteristics can vary widely. They are commonly called s ...

graminifolia'', etc.

Fauna

Among the fish found in the park are: '' Hoplias malabaricus, Rineloricaria lanceolata,

Leporinus ''Leporinus'' is a genus of fish in the family Anostomidae native to South America. The fossil species ''Leporinus scalabrinii'', known from the late Miocene of Entre Ríos in Argentina, has only recently been added to this genus after being mis ...

'' spp''.,

Piaractus brachypomus ''Piaractus brachypomus'', the pirapitinga, is a large species of pacu, a close relative of piranhas and silver dollars, in the serrasalmid family.Nico, L.; P. Fuller; and M. Neilson (22 October 2013)Piaractus brachypomus.USGS Nonindigenous Aqua ...

Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum ''Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum'' or barred sorubim or barred catfish is a species of long-whiskered catfish native to the Suriname, Corantijn and Essequibo. The nocturnal predator feeds mainly on other fish and crabs. Females reach a more notable ...

Zungaro zungaro The gilded catfish or ''jau'' (''Zungaro zungaro'') is a South American catfish (order (biology), order Siluriformes) of the family (biology), family Pimelodidae. It is also known as ''manguruyu'' or black manguruyu. Taxonomy By some sources, it ...

, Crossoloricaria rhami,'' etc''.'' Some of the birds found in the park are: the

great tinamou The great tinamou (''Tinamus major'') is a species of tinamou ground bird native to Central and South America. There are several subspecies, mostly differentiated by their coloration. Taxonomy The great tinamou was described and illustrated in 1 ...

, the

fasciated tiger heron The fasciated tiger heron (''Tigrisoma fasciatum'') is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It is present in southern Central America and parts of northern and central South America, where its natural habitat is rivers. In 1988 the fascia ...

, the

scarlet macaw The scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') is a large red, yellow, and blue Central and South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of the Neotropics. Its range extends from ...

, the

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

, the

muscovy duck The Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') is a large duck native to the Americas, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. Small wild and feral breeding populations have established themselves in the United St ...

, the violet-headed hummingbird, the

sunbittern The sunbittern (''Eurypyga helias'') is a bittern-like bird of tropical regions of the Americas, and the sole member of the family Eurypygidae (sometimes spelled Eurypigidae) and genus ''Eurypyga''. It is found in Central and South America, and ...

, the

short-tailed parrot The short-tailed parrot (''Graydidascalus brachyurus'') is the only species of the genus ''Graydidascalus''. It is found along both banks of the Amazon river and other major Amazonian rivers in Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. As ...

, the white-booted racket-tail, the

king vulture The king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa'') 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 Mexic ...

, the

little blue heron The little blue heron (''Egretta caerulea'') is a small heron of the genus '' Egretta''. It is a small, darkly colored heron with a two-toned bill. Juveniles are entirely white, bearing resemblance to the snowy egret. During the breeding season ...

, the

harpy eagle The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the ...

, the

jabiru The jabiru ( or ; ''Jabiru mycteria'') is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It sometimes wanders into the United States, usually in Texas, but has been reported as far north as Mississippi. ...

, the

blue-and-yellow macaw The blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna''), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large South American parrot with mostly blue top parts and light orange underparts, with gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the la ...

, the fork-tailed palm swift, the

Cordillera Azul antbird The Cordillera Azul antbird (''Myrmoderus eowilsoni'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It has been found only in the Cordillera Azul, San Martín Region, Peru where its natural habitat is humid montane forest. The ...

, etc.'''' Mammals reported in the area include: the

Amazon dwarf squirrel The Amazon dwarf squirrel (''Microsciurus flaviventer'') is a chipmunk-sized tree squirrel native to South America. Description As its name suggests, the Amazon dwarf squirrel is relatively small, with a head-body length of and a tail long. Ad ...

, the

bush dog The bush dog (''Speothos venaticus'') is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first identified by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossi ...

, the puma, the

common opossum The common opossum (''Didelphis marsupialis''), also called the southern or black-eared opossum or gambá, and sometimes called a possum, is a marsupial species living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Pac ...

, the brown-mantled tamarin, the Peruvian spider monkey, the jaguar, the

white-lipped peccary The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar in appearance to ...

, the

red brocket The red brocket (''Mazama americana'') is a species of brocket deer from forests in South America, ranging from northern Argentina to Colombia and the Guianas. It also occurs on the Caribbean island of Trinidad (it also occurred on the island ...

, the

South American tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' (Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushco ...

, the

tayra The tayra (''Eira barbara'') is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family, native to the Americas. It is the only species in the genus ''Eira''. Tayras are also known as the ''tolomuco'' or ''perico ligero'' in Central America, ''motete'' in ...

, etc.''''

Environmental issues

Illegal road building and clearing of forests for agriculture occurs inside the park; park rangers and inhabitants of nearby villages patrol the area.

References

External links

Cordillera Azul National Park. Profile at CIMA.

Cordillera Azul National Park. Profile at Protectedplanet.net
{{authority control National forests of Peru National parks of Peru Geography of Loreto Region Geography of San Martín Region Geography of Ucayali Region Tourist attractions in Loreto Region Tourist attractions in San Martín Region Tourist attractions in Ucayali Region Tourist attractions in Huánuco Region Geography of Huánuco Region Protected areas established in 2001 2001 establishments in Peru