Pucacuro National Reserve ( es, Reserva Nacional Pucacuro) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

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 ...

, located in the region of Loreto.

Geography

The reserve comprises the Pucacuro River basin, a forested area with hills, river terraces, seasonally flooded terrain, swamps, meandering rivers and ca. 40 oxbow lakes. Besides the Pucacuro River (a tributary of the

Tigre River The Tigre River () is a Peruvian tributary of the Marañón River west of the Nanay River. It is navigable for from its confluence with the Marañón. It forms from the confluence of the Ecuadorian rivers Cunambo and Pintoyacu at the Peruvian ...

), other important rivers in the reserve are the Aleman and Baratillo rivers.

Ecology

The reserve is located in the

Napo moist forests The Napo moist forests (NT0142) is an ecoregion in the western Amazon rainforest of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Geography Location The Napo moist forests ecoregion covers part of the Amazon basin to the east of the Andes in the north of Peru, ...

ecoregion.

Flora

Plant species present in the reserve include: ''

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 Arecaceae, palm tree. It grows in and near swamps and ...

Oenocarpus bataua ''Oenocarpus bataua'', the patawa, sehe, hungurahua (Ecuador) or mingucha, is a palm tree native to the Amazon rainforest. The tree produces edible fruits rich in high-quality oil.Vallejo Rendón, Darío 2002. "Oenocarpus bataua, seje"; ''Colombi ...

Astrocaryum chambira ''Astrocaryum chambira'', the chambira palm or chambira, is a large and spiny palm native to the Amazon Rainforest in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela that is mostly known for its commercial value as a fiber crop. It can reach over 25 meter ...

Iriartea deltoidea ''Iriartea'' is a genus in the palm family Arecaceae, native to Central and South America. The best-known species – and probably the only one – is ''Iriartea deltoidea'', which is found from Nicaragua, south into Bolivia and a great p ...

Euterpe precatoria ''Euterpe precatoria'' is a tall, slender-stemmed, pinnate-leaved palm native to Central and South America and Trinidad and Tobago. ''E. precatoria'' is used commercially to produce fruits, although ''Euterpe oleracea'' is more commonly cultivate ...

Couma macrocarpa ''Couma macrocarpa'', known by the common names leche caspi, leche huayo, sorva (a name it shares with its smaller relative '' Couma utilis''), and cow tree, is a species of tropical plant native to tropical, humid Central and South America from ...

, Parahancornia peruviana,

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandr ...

Socratea exorrhiza ''Socratea exorrhiza'', the walking palm or cashapona, is a Arecaceae, palm native to rainforests in tropical Central America, Central and South America. It can grow to 25 metres in height, with a stem diameter of up to 16 cm, but is more ty ...

Cedrela odorata ''Cedrela odorata'' is a commercially important species of tree in the chinaberry family, Meliaceae, commonly known as Spanish cedar or Cuban cedar; it is also known as cedro in Spanish. Classification The genus ''Cedrela'' has undergone two m ...

, Vochysia lomatophylla,

Simarouba amara ''Simarouba amara'' is a species of tree in the family Simaroubaceae, found in the rainforests and savannahs of South and Central America and the Caribbean. It was first described by Aubl. in French Guiana in 1775 and is one of six species of ...

Calophyllum brasiliense ''Calophyllum brasiliense'' (guanandi) is a species of plant in the family ''Calophyllaceae''. It is native to subtropical and tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Description It is an evergreen tree grow ...

Cedrelinga cateniformis ''Cedrelinga'' is a genus of tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants wit ...

, Iryanthera macrophylla, Osteophloeum platyspermum, Ocotea aciphylla'', etc.

References

External links

Pucacuro National Reserve. Profile at Protectedplanet.net
Reserved zones of Peru Geography of Loreto Region {{Loreto-geo-stub