Ampay National Sanctuary (''Santuario Nacional de Ampay'') is a

wildlife sanctuary A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

established in 1987. It is located in the district of Tamburco, just north of the city of

Abancay Abancay (from Quechua language: Hamanqay, Amanqay, or Amankay, meaning ''lily'') is a city in southern-central Peru. It is the capital of both the Apurímac Region and the Abancay Province, and serves an important cultural, economic, and politi ...

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 ...

. Its , which include Mount

Ampay Ampay is a mountain in the Andes of Peru. It is located in the Apurímac Region, Abancay Province, on the border of the districts of Abancay, Huanipaca and Tamburco. The mountain lies in the Ampay National Sanctuary. An intermittent stream n ...

, protect the

Pachachaca River Pachachaca is a river and valley of the Andes in Peru. Abancay lies on the river and in flows through the Ampay National Sanctuary Ampay National Sanctuary (''Santuario Nacional de Ampay'') is a wildlife sanctuary established in 1987. It is loca ...

basin and several

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

plant species, being the most representative the conifer called Intimpa ('' Podocarpus glomeratus'').

History

In the 1930s, the Podocarpus forest at the Mt. Ampay area was botanically identified. In 1983, Dr. Ciro Palomino and the "Asociación Cultural Apurímac" (Apurimac Cultural Society) presented a petition signed by more than 3000 people from the towns of Abancay and Tamburco urging then President Fernando Belaunde to help in the approval of the laws required to declare the forests of Ampay as a protected natural area. Ampay National Sanctuary was established on 23 July 1987, by decree No. 042-87-AG.

Geography

This protected area is located in the district of Tamburco, which belongs to the province of

, region of Apurimac. With an extension of the park covers an elevational range from 2,900 to 5,235 meters above sea level in the southeastern Peruvian Andes. Topography in the area consists mostly of steep slopes that culminate in Mount

. The area also includes two small lakes: Angasccocha (at 3250 m) and Uspaccocha (at 3750 m).

Climate

The climate is seasonal, with a rainy season from October to April and a dry season from May to September. Between 2300 and 3600 m the mean temperature varies between 11 ° and 16 °C; between 3800 and 4800 m the mean temperature varies from 0 ° to 10 °C; and above 5000 m, temperatures below 0 °C and snow are present. Frosts are frequent between June and September.

Ecology

Flora

There are two main vegetation zones in the sanctuary: the montane forest, with trees like: intimpa ('' Podocarpus glomeratus''), unka ('' Myrcianthes oreophila''), ch’uyllur ('' Vallea stipularis''), chachacomo ('' Escallonia resinosa''), tasta (''

Escallonia myrtilloides ''Escallonia myrtilloides'' is an evergreen shrub or tree in the Escalloniaceae family, native to open montane wet forests and paramos from Costa Rica to Bolivia. It occurs at elevations between . Description Trees or shrubs from high, with irr ...

''), huamanq’ero ('' Styloceras laurifolium''), wankartipa ('' Randia boliviana'') and capuli-pishay (''

Prunus rigida ''Prunus rigida'', is a species of shrub or tree in the family Rosaceae. It is native to Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of ...

''), along with associated shrubs and herbs; and the high altitude grasslands, with herb species of the genera: ''

Jarava ''Jarava'' is a genus in the subfamily Pooideae of the grass family Poaceae. Species * ''Jarava academica'' * ''Jarava ambigua'' * ''Jarava ameghinoi'' * ''Jarava annua'' * ''Jarava arenicola'' * ''Jarava arundinacea'' * ''Jarava atacamensis'' ...

'', ''

Festuca ''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...

'', ''

Calamagrostis ''Calamagrostis'' (reed grass or smallweed) is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of ''Calamagrostis'' general ...

'', ''Werneria'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Azorella ''Azorella'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to South America, New Zealand, southeastern Australia, and the islands of the Southern Ocean. They are low-growing dwarf mat-forming plants growing in high exposure on mo ...

'', among others. There is a transitional zone above 3700 m between these two main vegetation zones and is dominated by: tasta (''

''), masuka ('' Brachyotum'' sp.). and chawchapay (''Saracha punctata''). Forests of the conifer intimpa (''Podocarpus glomeratus'') cover an extension of almost 600 hectares; with this tree showing an abundance of 430 individuals per hectare. A total of 115 species of woody plants, distributed in 72 genera and 44 families have been found in this protected area.

Fauna

Among the mammals present in this wildlife sanctuary are the montane guinea pig, the

vizcacha Viscacha or vizcacha (, ) are rodents of two genera (''Lagidium'' and ''Lagostomus'') in the family Chinchillidae. They are native to South America and convergently resemble rabbits. The five extant species of viscacha are: *The plains vis ...

(both species inhabit the high Andean grasslands above 3700 m of elevation), the

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

Andean fox The culpeo (''Lycalopex culpaeus''), also known as culpeo zorro, Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, Andean wolf,Comparative ecology of two South American foxes, 'Dusicvon ariseus' and 'culpaeus' by Warren E. Johnson. Doctoral dissertation. Io ...

, 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 ...

and the

taruca The taruca (''Hippocamelus antisensis''), also known as the Peruvian guemal, north Andean deer, north Andean huemul, northern huemul or northern guemal, is a mid sized deer species that inhabits the high regions of the Andes mountains in South Am ...

. Birds present in the area include the

Andean hillstar The Andean hillstar (''Oreotrochilus estella'') is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Bi ...

, the

Andean gull The Andean gull (''Chroicocephalus serranus'') is a species of gull in the family Laridae. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus ''Larus''. It is found in the Andes in mountainous regions of Argentina, Bol ...

, the

undulated antpitta The undulated antpitta (''Grallaria squamigera'') is a bird in the family Grallariidae. The species was first described by Florent Prévost and Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs in 1842. Distribution The undulated antpitta occurs in Boliv ...

Taczanowski's tinamou Taczanowski's tinamou (''Nothoprocta taczanowskii'') is a type of ground bird found in the eastern Andes in Peru in the Junín, Cuzco, Apurímac, Ayacucho, and Puno Regions.Clements, J. (2007) Taxonomy This is a monotypic species. All Tinamou ...

, the

Andean goose The Andean goose (''Chloephaga melanoptera'') is a species of waterfowl in tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds ...

, the

Andean condor The Andean condor (''Vultur gryphus'') is a giant South American Cathartid vulture and is the only member of the genus ''Vultur''. Found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America, the Andean condor is the larg ...

and the endemic

Apurímac spinetail The Apurimac spinetail (''Synallaxis courseni'') is a Vulnerable species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family (biology), family Furnariidae. It is Endemism, endemic to Peru. Taxonomy and systematics The Apurimac spineta ...

Activities

Hiking and camping are the main activities in the area, as there are suitable camping sites designated by the park authority.

Environmental issues

Despite being a protected natural area, illegal hunting, invasive plant species, agricultural fields, wood cutting, field burning and cattle grazing are reported in the sanctuary.

References

External links

Ampay National Sanctuary, profile at Protectedplanet.net

Ampay National Sanctuary, 3D view at Google Maps.
{{Authority control National sanctuaries of Peru Protected areas established in 1987 Geography of Apurímac Region 1987 establishments in Peru