national park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
in the
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
of
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, established in 2004. It covers an area of in the provinces of Purús (
Ucayali
The Ucayali River (, ) 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 of Pucallpa is lo ...
), Tahuamanu and Tambopata (both in Madre de Dios).
It is also home to a number of indigenous tribes, including some that have avoided contact with the outside world.
Geography
Although the Amazon rainforest plain dominates the landscape, hilly terrain can be found in the western part of the park. The main rivers in the area ( Purús, Curanja, Cujar and Curiuja) can have some sandy shores.
Climate
Average annual precipitation in the area is 2600 mm, with heavy rains from December to April (which causes the rise of water level in rivers and streams), while the rest of the year is less rainy. The average temperature is around 25 °C, and can be as low as 17 °C and as high as 35 °C.
Ecology
Flora
The park harbors tropical forest ecosystems. Among the plant species found in the park are: ''
Swietenia macrophylla
''Swietenia macrophylla'', commonly known as mahogany, Honduran mahogany, Honduras mahogany, or big-leaf mahogany is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is one of three species that yields genuine mahogany timber (Swietenia), the ot ...
Cedrela odorata
''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina ...
'', ''
Ceiba
''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to Tropics, tropical and Subtropics, subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to northern Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall ...
Quararibea cordata
''Quararibea cordata'', known as the South American sapote or chupa-chupa, is a large, semi-deciduous fruit tree reaching heights of up to 45 meters. It is native to the Amazon rainforest vegetation in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Descript ...
Ceiba pentandra
''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order (biology), order Malvales and the family (biology), family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, ...
'', ''
Hevea brasiliensis
''Hevea brasiliensis'', the Pará rubber tree, ''sharinga'' tree, seringueira, or most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, originally native to the Amazon basin, but is now p ...
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 drained ...
'', ''
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 ...
'' spp., ''
Manilkara bidentata
''Manilkara bidentata'' is a species of '' Manilkara'' native to a large area of northern South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Common names include bulletwood, balatá, ausubo, massaranduba, quinilla, and (ambiguously) " cow-tree".
...
,'' ''
Psychotria viridis
''Psychotria viridis'', also known as ''chacruna'', ''chacrona'', or ''chaqruy'' in the Quechua languages, is a perennial, shrubby flowering plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae. It is a close relative of ''Psychotria carthagenensis'' (a.k.a. ''s ...
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 l ...
'' spp., ''
Theobroma cacao
''Theobroma cacao'' (cacao tree or cocoa tree) is a small ( tall) evergreen tree in the Malvaceae family. Its seedscocoa beansare used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate. Although the tree is native to the tropi ...
'', ''
Dipteryx
''Dipteryx'' is a genus containing a number of species of large trees and possibly shrubs. It belongs to the "papilionoid" subfamily – Faboideae – of the family Fabaceae. This genus is native to South and Central America and the Carib ...
Sapium glandulosum
''Sapium glandulosum'' is a species of tree in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to the Neotropics from Mexico and the Caribbean south to Argentina, and it has been cultivated elsewhere.''Erigeron'' ''bonariensis'''',
Pouteria caimito
''Pouteria caimito'', the abiu (), is a tropical fruit tree in the family ''Sapotaceae''. It grows in the Amazon Basin, Amazonian region of South America, and this type of fruit can also be found in the Philippines and other countries in Southea ...
Calathea
''Calathea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Marantaceae. They are commonly called calatheas or (like their relatives) prayer plants. About 200 species formerly assigned to ''Calathea'' are now in the genus '' Goeppertia''. ...
Phyllanthus
''Phyllanthus'' is the largest genus in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. Estimates of the number of species in this genus vary widely, from 750David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book.'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University ...
brasiliensis,
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''.,'' ''
Mauritia flexuosa
''Mauritia flexuosa'', known as the moriche palm, ''ité'' palm, ''ita'', ''buriti'', ''muriti'', ''miriti'' (Brazil), ''canangucho'' (Colombia), ''morete or acho'' (Ecuador), ''palma real'' (Bolivia), or ''aguaje'' (Peru), is a Arecaceae, palm t ...
Ficus
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...
'' spp., ''
Ocimum campechianum
''Ocimum campechianum'' is a plant species in the family Lamiaceae, widespread across Mexico, Central America, South America, the West Indies, and Florida.
Leaves of ''Ocimum campechianum'' are eaten in Brazil's Amazon jungle. Similar to basil, ...
jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
tapeti
The common tapeti (''Sylvilagus brasiliensis''), also known as the Brazilian cottontail, forest cottontail, or (formerly) simply tapeti is a species of cottontail rabbit. It is small to medium-sized with a small, dark tail, short hind feet, and s ...
, the
giant otter
The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of mustel ...
, 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 of ...
, the
tayra
The tayra (''Eira barbara'') is an omnivorous animal from the mustelid 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'' ...
, the
pacarana
The pacarana (''Dinomys branickii'') is a rare and slow-moving hystricognath rodent indigenous to South America. Native Tupi people call it the ''pacarana'' (false paca) because it is superficially similar to the paca, a different rodent which is ...
, the
short-eared dog
The short-eared dog (''Atelocynus microtis''), also known as the small-eared dog, is a unique and elusive canid species endemic to the Amazonian basin. This is the only species assigned to the genus ''Atelocynus''.
Other names
The short-eared ...
, the
giant anteater
The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an Insectivore, insectivorous mammal native to Central America, Central and South America. It is the largest of the four living species of anteaters, which are classified with sloths in the or ...
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
Amazon river dolphin
The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale Endemism, endemic to South America and is classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recogni ...
, the
emperor tamarin
The emperor tamarin (''Saguinus imperator'') is a species of tamarin monkey allegedly named for its beard's resemblance to the German Empire, German List_of_German_monarchs#German_Empire,_1871–1918, emperor Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Wilhelm I ...
, the
South American coati
The South American coati (''Nasua nasua''), also known as the ring-tailed coati or brown-nosed coati, is a coati species and a member of the raccoon family ( Procyonidae), found in the tropical and subtropical parts of South America. An adult g ...
, the
coppery titi
The coppery titi monkey (''Plecturocebus cupreus'') or red titi monkey is a species of titi monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. They are found in the Amazon Rainforest, Amazon of Brazil and Peru, and perhaps northern Bolivia. ...
, etc.
About 520 bird species have been reported in the park including: the
blue-headed macaw
The blue-headed macaw or Coulon's macaw (''Primolius couloni'') is a macaw native to eastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia (mainly in Pando), and far western Brazil (in Acre). It has a total length of about 41 cm (16 in), making it a memb ...
,
Spix's guan
Spix's guan (''Penelope jacquacu'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is "the prototypical cracid of the Amazonian lowlands."del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Spix's Guan (''Penelope jacquacu''), version 1.0. In Birds of the Wo ...
, the
bat falcon
The bat falcon (''Falco rufigularis'') is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.Remsen, J. V., J ...
, the
red-bellied macaw
The red-bellied macaw (''Orthopsittaca manilatus''), also known as ''Guacamaya manilata'', is a medium-sized, mostly green parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are commonly called " m ...
, 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, an ...
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 Mex ...
white-throated toucan
The white-throated toucan (''Ramphastos tucanus'') is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae found in South America throughout the Amazon Basin including the adjacent Tocantins River, Tocantins and Araguaia River drainage. It pre ...
, 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 also been reported in Mississippi, Oklahoma ...
, the
golden-tailed sapphire
The golden-tailed sapphire (''Chrysuronia oenone'') is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The golden-tailed sapphire was formerly ...
harpy eagle
The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a large Neotropical realm, 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, New Guin ...
scarlet macaw
The scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from south ...
Nature watching is the main activity in the area. It is possible to see several bird species gather at
mineral lick
A mineral lick (also known as a salt lick) is a place where animals can go to lick essential mineral nutrients from a deposit of salts and other minerals. Mineral licks can be naturally occurring or artificial (such as blocks of salt that fa ...
s (colpas), such as parrots and macaws. Cultural tourism can be done in the native villages along Curanja River, where local dances, fish farming and traditional agricultural practices can be observed.
Environmental issues
Among the main threats to the park are: logging (especially of
mahogany
Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...
), hunting, overfishing, illegal settlements (promoted by corrupt local authorities), lack of park management and contact with peoples in voluntary isolation. In addition, some local groups support the construction of a road to the town of Esperanza, which will pass through the park.