Tingo María National Park () is located in the districts of Rupa Rupa and Mariano Dámaso, in the region of

Huánuco Huánuco (; ) is a city in central Peru. It had a population of 196,627 as of 2017 and in 2015 it had a population of 175,068. It is the capital of the Huánuco Region and the Huánuco District. It is the seat of the diocese of Huánuco. The met ...

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 ...

. It was established on May 14, 1965 and its main attractions are the montane forest vegetation and the cave named Cueva de las Lechuzas (Spanish for ''Cave of the Owls'') where the

oilbird The oilbird (''Steatornis caripensis''), locally known as the , is a bird species found in the northern areas of South America including the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the only living species in the genus ''Steatornis'', the family Stea ...

s nest. The park has an area of that include a mountain massif called ''La Bella Durmiente'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

History

In 1940, 2 years after the foundation of the nearby town of

Tingo María Tingo María is the capital of Leoncio Prado Province in the Huánuco Region in central Peru. It has a population of 46,191 inhabitants ( 2017 census). Tingo María was considered unreachable until 1936, when the Montaña Road reached the sett ...

, some forest areas were spared from human development to create a new protected natural area. In 1950, during the dictatorship of Manuel A. Odría, a protected area called ''Cueva de las Lechuzas National Reserve'' was created in the area of the future national park. On May 14, 1965, Tingo María National Park was established by Law No. 15574, which stated that the area include the Bella Durmiente massif, the cave named Cueva de Las Lechuzas and adjacent forests. However, the law didn't specify the total area or the boundaries of the park. In 2000, boundaries were defined and the total area was fixed at 4777,8 hectares.

Geography

Topography in the park is steep and mountainous, because the Bella Durmiente massif occupies almost of its entire extension. Elevations in the park are in the range of 650–1808 m; rocky walls of 300–500 m in height are common. Soils are calcareous, rocky and thin, and landslides due to natural causes or past attempts of agriculture do occur. Tingo María National Park is located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the rivers Huallaga and Monzón (the name tingo, comes from

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

for confluence or meeting). Due to the calcareous nature of the mountains, several rivers in the park have eroded the rock to form underground courses.

Climate

The rainy season in the area goes from October to April, with a mean annual precipitation of 3300 mm. Access to the park in that season is limited due to weather conditions. The annual temperatures in the area have a maximum of 29.8 °C and a minimum of 19.2 °C, being the annual mean 24.5 °C.

Ecology

Flora

Vegetation in the park is characterized by the presence of very humid montane forests frequently covered with mist, and trees covered with epiphyte plants, mosses and lichens due to humidity. Among the most notable plant species in the park are trees like cedro colorado (''

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 ...

''), palo blanco ('' Cinchona pubescens''), cumala blanca (''

Virola calophylla ''Virola calophylla'' is a species of tree in the family Myristicaceae. It is native to Central America and South America, namely Panama, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia ( Department of Amazonas, Department of Vaupés), Ecuador ( Na ...

''), cumala colorada ''( Iryanthera laevis''), quinilla (''

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". ...

'' subsp. ''surinamensis''), sapotillo (''

Quararibea ''Quararibea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. Species include: *''Quararibea asterolepis'' *''Quararibea aurantiocalyx'' *''Quararibea cordata'' *''Quararibea dolichopoda'' *''Quararibea dolichosiphon'' *''Quararibea fu ...

macrocalyx''), tulpay ('' Clarisia racemosa)'' and lagarto caspi (''

Calophyllum brasiliense ''Calophyllum brasiliense'' (guanandi) is a species of plant in the family Calophyllaceae. It is native to subtropical and tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Description It is an evergreen tree growing ...

''); palms like huasaí ('' Euterpe precatoria''), ungurahui ('' Oenocarpus bataua''), pona ( ''Iriartea deltoidea''), yarina (''

Phytelephas macrocarpa ''Phytelephas macrocarpa'' is a single-stemmed, unarmed, reclining or erect palm from the extreme northern coastal regions of South America, growing to some 12 m tall. It has been introduced and cultivated in tropical regions all over the world. ...

'') and palmiche ('' Geonoma'' spp.); tree ferns (''

Cyathea ''Cyathea'' is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. The genus name ''Cyathea'' is derived from the Greek ''kyatheion'', meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds. ...

'' spp.) and numerous orchids, being the most frequent '' Phragmipedium'' spp. (although '' Phragmipedium besseae'' is a threatened species).

Fauna

Among the mammals present in the park are the

South American tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, (Brazilian Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushcow", in mixed ...

, 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

collared peccary The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a peccary, a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Peccary, Tayassuidae found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the gen ...

, the

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

, the black-capped squirrel monkey, the

brown-mantled tamarin The brown-mantled tamarin (''Leontocebus fuscicollis''), also known as Spix's saddle-back tamarin, is a species of saddle-back tamarin. This New World monkey is found in the Southern American countries of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. This Omnivore, ...

monkey, the

red-faced spider monkey The red-faced spider monkey (''Ateles paniscus''), also known as the Guiana spider monkey or red-faced black spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey found in the rain forests in northern South America. The species faces issues with hunting ...

, the

nine-banded armadillo The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, making ...

, 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 Northern Amazon red squirrel, the

kinkajou The kinkajou ( /ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ ''KING-kə-joo''; ''Potos flavus'') is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus ''Pot ...

, and the South American coati. Birds reported in the area are the Andean cock-of-the-rock, the

, the

white-eyed parakeet The white-eyed parakeet (''Psittacara leucophthalmus''), known in aviculture as white-eyed conure, is a species of bird in the subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in every mainland South A ...

, Salvin's curassow,

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 blue-headed parrot, the king vulture, the Amazonian motmot, among others.

Activities

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 such as binoculars or a telescop ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

and

cultural tourism Cultural tourism is a type of tourism in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the cultural attractions and products offered by a tourist destination. These attractions and products relate to the ...

are the main activities in the area.

Environmental issues

Environmental issues that affect the biodiversity of this national park are: the extraction of wood for construction or fuel; the clearance of forest for agricultural crops, coca and pastures; uncontrolled tourism; hunting; fishing with toxins and explosives; the noise of helicopters departing from a nearby airbase; obstruction of an underground river due to debris from deforestation by nearby villages; and the extraction of gravel and other construction materials.

References

External links

Tingo María National Park. Profile at protectedplanet.net
{{Authority control National parks of Peru Geography of the Department of Huánuco Tourist attractions in the Department of Huánuco 1965 establishments in Peru Protected areas established in 1965

History

Geography

Climate

Ecology

Flora

Fauna

Activities

Environmental issues

See also

References

External links