Alejandro de Humboldt National Park

Coordinates: 20°27′N 75°00′W / 20.450°N 75.000°W / 20.450; -75.000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Map showing the location of Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Map showing the location of Alejandro de Humboldt National Park
Location in Cuba
LocationCuba
Nearest cityGuantánamo
Coordinates20°27′N 75°00′W / 20.450°N 75.000°W / 20.450; -75.000
Area711.38 km2 (274.67 sq mi)[1]
TypeNatural
Criteriaix, x
Designated2001 (25th session)
Reference no.839rev
RegionLatin America and the Caribbean

Alejandro de Humboldt National Park (

fauna.[2]

Geography

The rivers that flow off the peaks of the park are some of the largest in the insular Caribbean. The park is said to be the most humid place in Cuba[3] and this causes a high biological diversity. The park has an area of 711.38 km2 (274.67 sq mi),[1] of which 685.72 km2 (264.76 sq mi) land area and 22.63 km2 (8.74 sq mi) marine area. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1,168 m (3,832 ft) on El Toldo Peak.

The region around Alejandro de Humboldt National Park is geologically complex, containing

serpentine soils and peridotites.[2]

Wildlife

The area comprising the national park was a

glaciation events.[2] This has allowed for remarkably high rates of endemism and biodiversity in the park. In addition, the ultra-basic rocks are relatively toxic to plants, driving rapid speciation.[4] 16 of Cuba's 28 endemic plant species are protected in the park including such flora as Dracaena cubensis and Podocarpus ekman. Fauna present in the park includes various species of parrots, lizards, hummingbirds, the endangered Cuban solenodon (endemic), hutia
and snails.

Over 900 total plant species have been recorded at the park, along with 45 species of reptiles, 21 amphibian species, and 10 mammal species.[4]

Important Bird Area

The park has been recognised as an

Antillean palm-swifts, Cuban emeralds, bee hummingbirds, great lizard cuckoos, Cuban pygmy owls, bare-legged owls, Cuban kites, Gundlach's hawks, Cuban trogons and todies, ivory-billed, Cuban green and West Indian woodpeckers, Cuban amazons and parakeets, loggerhead and giant kingbirds, La Sagra's flycatchers, Cuban pewees, vireos, crows, gnatcatchers and solitaires, Oriente warblers, Cuban orioles, tawny-shouldered and Cuban blackbirds, Greater Antillean grackles, western spindalises, and Cuban bullfinches and grassquits.[5]

History

The Alexander von Humboldt National Park has historically been an area of land little used by man, with only one archaeological site from the

maroons
.

The park began to be laid out in the 1960s, with the declaration of the Jaguani and Cupeyal del Norte nature reserves. This continued into the 1980s with the proposal of the Ojito del Agua Refuge, associated with the last sighting of the royal woodpecker, a last remnant of this species which was already extinct in its other habitats in the United States and Mexico. In 1996 these protected areas were united to form a national park that was named after Alexander von Humboldt. Being one of the most important biosphere reserves in the Caribbean basin, the national park, along with Cuchillas del Toa was declared a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2001.

There are unique flora and fauna elements in this unique ecosystem, with some of the highest indexes of endemicity in the archipelago.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b National Protected Areas System of Cuba (2005). "Protected Areas". Retrieved 2009-07-09.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b c "Alejandro de Humboldt National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. ^ Radio Habana. "Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  4. ^ a b c Republic of Cuba (1998). Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Alejandro de Humboldt". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Alejandro de Humboldt National Park.
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