Güeppi-Sekime National Park is a protected area located in the

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 ...

vian region of Loreto, on the border with

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. The park encompasses of forests in a landscape that features hills and seasonally flooded lowlands.

History

The Güeppi Reserved Zone was established in March 1997, initially covering . The name and the extension were modified and was granted a national park status in 2012.

Climate

The park has a warm and humid climate, with an average temperature of and precipitation between 2500 and 2800 mm.

Ecology

Flora

Among the plant species found in the area are: ''

Socratea exorrhiza ''Socratea exorrhiza'', the walking palm or cashapona, is a palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. It can grow to 25 metres in height, with a stem diameter of up to 16 cm, but is more typically 15–20 m tall ...

'', '' Brownea grandiceps'', '' Calyptranthes bipennis,

Salvinia auriculata ''Salvinia auriculata'' is a species of plant in the Salviniaceae known by the common names eared watermoss,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 ...

'', '' Phenakospermum guyannense, Mabea speciosa,

Ilex ''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen or ...

inundata'', ''

Warszewiczia coccinea ''Warszewiczia coccinea'' (or chaconia, wild poinsettia, pastora del monte and pride of Trinidad and Tobago) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago . It is also found throughout ...

,'' ''

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 ...

javitensis'', '' Caryocar glabrum,'' ''

Piper A piper is a musician, a player of the bagpipe. As a noun proper, Piper may also refer to: People * Piper (given name) * Piper (surname) Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics * Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe * P ...

obliquum'', ''

Pourouma cecropiifolia ''Pourouma cecropiifolia'' (Amazon grape, Amazon tree-grape or uvilla; syn. ''P. multifida'') is a species of '' Pourouma'', native to tropical South America, in the western Amazon Basin in northern Bolivia, western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, ...

,'' ''

Handroanthus serratifolius ''Handroanthus serratifolius'' is a species of tree, commonly known as yellow lapacho, pau d'arco, yellow poui, yellow ipe, pau d'arco amarelo, or ''ipê-amarelo''. It is in the family Bignoniaceae. Description It is a tree native to forests ...

,'' ''

Genipa ''Genipa'' is a genus of trees in the family Rubiaceae. This genus is native to the American tropical forests. Description Tall trees, without any spines, prickles or thorns; with large opposite leaves of almost leathery texture, smooth or hai ...

spruceana,

Annona ''Annona'' or Anona (from Taíno ''annon'') is a genus of flowering plants in the pawpaw/ sugar apple family, Annonaceae. It is the second largest genus in the family after '' Guatteria'', containing approximately 166

'' spp.'',

Lecythis ampla ''Lecythis ampla'' is a species of woody plant in the family Lecythidaceae, which also includes the Brazil nut (''Bertholletia excelsa''). Common names include ''coco, olla de mono, jicaro'' and ''salero''. It is found in Central and South Ameri ...

, Ophiocaryon heterophyllum,

Dieffenbachia ''Dieffenbachia'' , commonly known as dumb cane or leopard lily, is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family (biology), family Araceae. It is native to the New World Tropics from Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina. Some spec ...

parvifolia, Minquartia guianensis, Hymenachne donacifolia,

Astrocaryum murumuru ''Astrocaryum murumuru'' (Portuguese common name: murumuru) is a Arecaceae, palm native to Amazon Rainforest vegetation in Brazil, which bears Eating, edible fruits. ''Murumuru'' butter, extracted from the seeds of the plant, may be used as a m ...

'', '' Ficus schippii,

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''. ...

'' spp.'', Cedrelinga cateniformis'', ''

Hevea guianensis ''Hevea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, with about ten members. It is also one of many names used commercially for the wood of the most economically important rubber tree, '' H. brasiliensis''. The genus is n ...

, Trichomanes pinnatum,

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 ...

'' spp.'',

Virola surinamensis ''Virola surinamensis'', known commonly as baboonwood, ucuuba, ucuhuba and ''chalviande'',Americas Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Costa Rica, November 1996). 1998''Virola surinamensis''.The IUCN Red List of Thr ...

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 ...

, Tapirira guianensis,'' etc.

Fauna

There is a large diversity of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

and

reptiles Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...

such as the

black caiman The black caiman (''Melanosuchus niger'') is a crocodilian reptile endemic to South America. With a maximum length of around and a mass of over , it is the largest living species of the family Alligatoridae, and the third-largest crocodilian in ...

(''Melansosuchus niger''). It is also home to several endangered species such as the

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 ...

(''Panther onca'') and 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 ...

(''Pteronura brasuliensis''). This is also a site of the pink river dolphin ('' Inia geoffrensis''), endangered by being used as bait in fishing for mota fish ('' Calophysus macropterus''), despite such practices being illegal. Birds found in the area include: the golden-green woodpecker, 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 ...

, the

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 ...

, the

undulated tinamou The undulated tinamou (''Crypturellus undulatus'') is a species of ground bird found in a wide range of wooded habitats in eastern and northern South America. Etymology Its generic name ''Crypturellus'' is formed from three Latin or Greek word ...

, the green ibis, the

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 ...

, the white-necked jacobin, the

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

red-and-green macaw The red-and-green macaw (''Ara chloropterus''), also known as the green-winged macaw, is a large, mostly-red macaw of the genus ''Ara''. It is popular in aviculture, and is the second most commonly kept macaw species after the Blue and Yellow. ...

, the

red-throated caracara The red-throated caracara (''Ibycter americanus'') is a social species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus ''Ibycter'', or sometimes united in '' Daptrius'' with the black caracara. Unique among caracara ...

, the

muscovy duck The Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') is a duck native to the Americas, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. The species has been Domestic Muscovy duck, domesticated, and feral Muscovy ducks can b ...

, the agami heron, etc.

Anthropology

Native peoples living within this region include the

Quichua Kichwa (, , also Spanish ) is a Quechuan language that includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia ('' Inga''), as well as extensions into Peru. It has an estimated half million speakers. Classification Kichwa belongs to the Nor ...

, the Secoya and the Bora.

References

* National parks of Peru Geography of the Department of Loreto Tourist attractions in the Department of Loreto {{SouthAm-protected-area-stub