Lachay National Reserve ( es, Reserva Nacional de Lachay) is a protected area in the region of

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

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 ...

. The reserve is located north from the Peruvian capital,

, and protects part of the

lomas Lomas (Spanish for "hills"), also called fog oases and mist oases, are areas of fog-watered vegetation in the coastal desert of Peru and northern Chile. About 100 lomas near the Pacific Ocean are identified between 5°S and 30°S latitude, a nort ...

ecosystem.

Climate

Climate at the reserve is typical of the lomas: there is a wet season, from June to October (when vegetation develops) and a dry season from January to May (when the landscape is barren).

Ecology

The lomas ecosystem consists of areas of coastal desert, mostly hills, that receive enough moisture during winter for plant life to thrive, unlike the drought conditions in summer (except for some

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...

events, that bring rains in the summer).

Flora

Among the native plant species present in the park are: ''

Tara spinosa ''Tara spinosa'', commonly known as ''tara'' (Quechua language, Quechua), also known as Peruvian carob or spiny holdback, is a small leguminous tree or thorny shrub native to Peru. ''T. spinosa'' is cultivated as a source of tannins based on a g ...

, Vasconcellea candicans,

Ismene amancaes ''Ismene amancaes'', commonly called amancae or amancay, is a herbaceous plant species in the family Amaryllidaceae and native to the coastal hills of Peru. Description ''I. amancaes'' is a species with spherical bulbs 3.5–5 cm in dia ...

'', ''

Verbena litoralis ''Verbena litoralis'' is a species of verbena known by the common names seashore vervain and Brazilian vervain, and in Hawaiian, ''ōwī''. It is native to the Americas from Mexico south through Central and South America to Argentina and Chile. ...

Vachellia ''Vachellia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or acacias. It belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae. Its species were considered members of genus ''Acacia'' until 2009. ''Vachellia'' can ...

macracantha,

Heliotropium arborescens ''Heliotropium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the heliotrope family, Heliotropiaceae. There are around 325 species in this almost cosmopolitan genus, which are commonly known as heliotropes (sg. ). It is highly toxic for dogs and cats. Et ...

Armatocereus matucanensis ''Armatocereus matucanensis'' is a species of ''Armatocereus ''Armatocereus'' (from Latin ''armatus'', "armed" and ''cereus'', "pliant/soft") is a genus of mostly tree-like cacti from South America (Ecuador and Peru). These species have a con ...

,'' etc.

Fauna

Reserva Nacional Lomas de Lachay, Huaral, Lima, Perú 04

Some birds found in the reserve are: the

vermilion flycatcher The vermilion flycatcher (''Pyrocephalus obscurus'') is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family found throughout South America and southern North America. It is a striking exception among the generally drab Tyrannidae due to its v ...

, the

Andean tinamou The Andean tinamou (''Nothoprocta pentlandii'') is a tinamou, found commonly in high-altitude shrubland, in the Andes of South America.Clements, J. (2007) Taxonomy All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also rati ...

, the

American kestrel The American kestrel (''Falco sparverius''), also called the sparrow hawk, is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of ...

, the

burrowing owl The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia''), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or an ...

, etc. Some mammals found here are: the

Sechuran fox The Sechuran fox (''Lycalopex sechurae''), also called the Peruvian desert fox or the Sechuran zorro, is a small South American species of canid closely related to other South American "false" foxes or zorro. It gets its name for being found in ...

, 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 ...

, the

Pampas cat 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 ...

, the puma, etc.

Archaeology

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 ...

archaeological remains have been found in the reserve such as: man-made terraces, cave paintings, tombs and pieces of pottery.

Recreation

The main activities in the reserve are

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...

and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

Campsites A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using ten ...

in the reserve have some amenities like

picnic tables A picnic table (or picnic bench) is a table with benches (often attached), designed for working with and for outdoor dining. The term is often specifically associated with rectangular tables having an A-frame structure. Such tables may be referr ...

outhouses An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may also be used t ...

, parking spots, etc.

Environmental issues

The main environmental issues that threat the integrity of the reserve are: unregulated tourism, firewood extraction, cattle grazing,

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the cas ...

(construction materials), four-wheel drive vehicles outside authorized roads, garbage (not only from visitors, but also from people who toss out garbage from vehicles on the

Pan-American highway The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...

nearby), invasive species (including stray dogs) and archaeological looting.

References

External links

Profile on Parkswatch.org
{{Landmarks in Lima National Reservations of Peru Geography of Lima Region Protected areas established in 1977 Tourist attractions in Lima Region 1977 establishments in Peru