Tabaconas-Namballe National Sanctuary (''Santuario Nacional Tabaconas-Namballe'') is a national sanctuary 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 ...
established in 1988, and protects the southernmost part of the
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 ...
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 ...
and spans an area of .
History
In the 1940s, national and foreign investors began studies for the use of forests in the provinces of Jaén and San Ignacio. This prompted the Peruvian government to reserve an area that would serve as a nature sanctuary, by creating the Oso Perdido National Forest.
In 1977, a lumber company, El Chaupe, was granted two exploitation contracts by the government in the forests located in the districts of
Chirinos
Chirinos is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Arsenio Chirinos (1934–2015), Venezuelan cyclist
* Diego Andres Chirinos (born 1990), Peruvian Dog Behaviorist & Entrepreneur
*Eduardo Chirinos (1960–2016), Peruvian writer and ...
, Tabaconas and Namballe, all in the province of San Ignacio. One of the contracts was terminated by the Ministry of Agriculture, declaring an extension of 49 260 hectares as an area for research purposes.
In 1982, the Department of Forest Management of La Molina National University (UNALM) proposed the establishment of the Namballe National Sanctuary. However, it was only in 1987 that some government institutions along with La Molina University carried out the studies for the establishment of a spectacled bear sanctuary in the area.
Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary was established on May 20, 1988, by Supreme Decree No. 051-88AG with an area of 29,500 ha.
Geography
Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary is located in the Cordillera de Tabaconas, which is part of the Eastern Andes. The area is mountainous, with rocky outcrops and steep slopes, but with some plain or undulate terrain on the highest parts.
There are three important rivers in the area: Tabaconas, Miraflores and Blanco; the latter having almost all of is extension protected inside the sanctuary. These are part of the Marañón River basin, which in turn is a tributary of the
Amazon River
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
. During the rainy season, the flow of these rivers increase by 60%, carrying not only sediment and debris but also boulders.
In the headwaters of the Tabaconas River, in the páramo ecosystem, there is a group of lakes called Las Arrebiatadas. It consists of 4 main lakes and 12 smaller ones, which were declared a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Climate
In the highest parts of the sanctuary (
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 ...
) the mean annual temperature ranges between 6 °C and 12 °C; while in the lowest (
montane forest
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 ...
), it ranges between 22.5 °C and 24 °C. Precipitation in the páramo can be as low as 740 mm (March) and as high as 3422 mm (December); while in the montane forest precipitation fluctuates between 1150 – 1400 mm.
Fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
, rain and
hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
are frequent in the páramo.
Ecology
Flora
There are two types of vegetation in the sanctuary:
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 ...
and
montane forest
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 ...
. Species found in páramo include: ''
Chusquea
''Chusquea'' is a genus of evergreen bamboos in the grass family. Most of them are native to mountain habitats in Latin America, from Mexico to southern Chile and Argentina.
They are sometimes referred to as South American mountain bamboos. Unl ...
aristata'', ''
Hypericum
''Hypericum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae (formerly considered a subfamily of Clusiaceae). The genus has a nearly worldwide distribution, missing only from tropical lowlands, deserts and polar regions. Many ''Hype ...
Valeriana
''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, ''Valeriana officinalis''. Species are native to all continen ...
'' sp., ''
Senecio
''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels.
Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants.
Description
Morp ...
'' sp., ''Pernettya prostrata'', '' Gynoxys'' sp., '' Berberis'' sp., among others. Montane forests in the sanctuary include species from genera: '' Podocarpus'', ''
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 ...
Dicksonia
''Dicksonia'' is a genus of tree ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is regarded as related to ''Cyathea'', but is considered to retain more primitive traits, dating back at least to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record includes ...
'', ''
Wettinia
''Wettinia'' is a palm genus, consisting of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. The genus, established in 1837, contains some 20 species, but more seem to await discovery considering that 4 species - '' W. aequatorialis'', '' W. lanata'', ...
Hedyosmum
''Hedyosmum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Chloranthaceae
Chloranthaceae is a family of flowering plants (angiosperms), the only family in the order Chloranthales. It is not closely related to any other family of flowering pl ...
'', ''
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 extending in ...
Guarea
''Guarea'' is a genus of evergreen trees or shrubs in the family Meliaceae, native to tropical Africa and Central and South America. At their largest, they are large trees 20–45 m tall, with a trunk over 1 m diameter, often buttressed at the ba ...
'', etc.; as well as trees from the family
Lauraceae
Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...
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 ...
puma
Puma or PUMA may refer to:
Animals
* ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae
** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat
Businesses and organisations
* Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company
* Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
, the
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
hairy yellow-shouldered bat
The hairy yellow-shouldered bat (''Sturnira erythromos'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae native to South America. There are no recognised subspecies.
Description
The hairy yellow-shouldered bat is a small bat, on average measu ...
,
Thomas's broad-nosed bat
Thomas's broad-nosed bat (''Platyrrhinus dorsalis'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Esc ...
, the
Venezuelan red howler
The Colombian red howler or Venezuelan red howler (''Alouatta seniculus'') is a South American species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in the western Amazon Basin in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The populatio ...
, the
lowland paca
The lowland paca (''Cuniculus paca''), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria.
The animal is cal ...
bearded guan
The bearded guan (''Penelope barbata'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by ...
, the
wattled guan
The wattled guan (''Aburria aburri'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is a fairly large black cracid with blue-based, black-tipped beak and a long, red-and-yellow Wattle (anatomy), wattle.
It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, ...
, 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 ...
, the
red-billed parrot
The red-billed parrot (''Pionus sordidus'') also known as coral-billed pionus or red-billed pionus is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is found in humid subtropical forests in the Venezuelan Coastal Range, Sierra Nevada de Santa ...
peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
, the
crested quetzal
The crested quetzal /ketSAHL/ (''Pharomachrus antisianus'') is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae native to South America, where it is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...
powerful woodpecker
The powerful woodpecker (''Campephilus pollens'') is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Taxonomy
The powerful woodpecker was for a time placed in gen ...
.
13 species of amphibians are present in the sanctuary, including: ''
Lynchius parkeri
''Lynchius parkeri'', also known as Parker's Andes frog, is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in northern Peru (Cordillera de Huancabamba, Department of Piura) and southern Ecuador ( Yacurí National Park, Loja Province) ...
'', ''
Pristimantis galdi
''Pristimantis galdi'' is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. Its common name is Espada's robber frog. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
Its natural habitats are evergreen secondary and old growth humid montane forest .
It is threatene ...
It is possible to visit Las Arrebiatadas Lakes, which are a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
There are also archaeological sites inside the park such as the Manchara
petroglyph
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s and the village of Coyona.
Environmental issues
Mining, opening of new roads, wood extraction, hunting and forest clearance for pastures and crops (all of these, illegal activities inside a protected area) are polluting the area and causing pressure on local biodiversity. These illegal activities continue due to a lack of support from local authorities to the sanctuary authorities.