Manu National Park
Manu National Park | |
---|---|
Cusco Region | |
Nearest city | Cusco |
Coordinates | 11°51′23″S 71°43′17″W / 11.85639°S 71.72139°W |
Area | 17,162.95 km2 (6,626.65 sq mi) |
Established | May 29, 1973 (by 644-73-AG) |
Governing body | SERNANP |
Website | Parque Nacional del Manu |
Criteria | Natural: (ix), (x) |
Reference | 402bis |
Inscription | 1987 (11th Session) |
Extensions | 2009 |
Manu National Park (
History
Manu National Park was established by decree on 29 May 1973; during the dictatorship of General
Geography
Manu National Park covers an area of 1,716,295.22 hectares (17,162.95 km2) which comprises mountainous areas (traversed by creeks and valleys) with elevations close to 4000 m above sea level and a portion of the Amazon Basin plains.[1]
The national park is divided in the following areas: the restricted use zone (with pristine forests and native communities, access is granted to researchers only); the reserved zone (for recreation and research); the recuperation zone (for the recovery of disturbed areas) and the cultural zone (for human settlement and most activities including nature tourism ).[4][5]
The 190 kilometres (120 mi) Manu road is the only link between the highlands of the park and the lowlands where the mouth of the Manu River is located.[6]
Climate
Climate in the park is highly variable, rainy and depends on the elevation.[1] The southern section (mountainous) has an annual precipitation between 1500–2000 mm; while in the middle section it is between 3000–3500 mm and in the northwestern section the annual precipitation reaches 8000 mm or more.[1] The less rainy season is from May to September, accompanied by lower temperatures.[1]
In the park, the mean annual temperature in the lowland rainforest is 25.6 °C, while in the Andean zone it is 8 °C.[1]
Ecology
Plants
Vegetation types inside the park include puna grassland (in areas over 4000 m), high Andean forests, cloud forests and lowland Amazon rainforest.[1] This variety of vegetation types is represented in 162 families, 1191 genera and 4385 identified species of plants, with as much as 250 tree species in one hectare.[1] A study found a total of 1108 species of trees inside the park, from several plots between the mountain tree line and the lowland forest.[7]
Plant species found in the lowland rainforest zone of the park include:
In 2021, the so-called “Manu Mystery Plant”, a small tree, with tiny white flowers and ribbed, bright orange fruit, was determined to be a distinct genus, which was named Aenigmanu (the enigma of Manu). The plant, first collected in 1973 by Field Museum ecologist Robin Foster, had puzzled experts for decades. DNA analysis revealed it to be related to the Picramniaceae; but unlike this family, the Aenigmanu has stipules on its stems where the leaves emerge.[9]
Fauna
About 160 species of mammals have been reported in the park.[1] Mammals found in the lowland rainforest zone of the park include: the jaguar, the tayra, the giant armadillo, the puma (also present in mountainous areas), the ocelot, the collared peccary, the giant otter, the Peruvian spider monkey, the Mexican free-tailed bat, the jaguarundi, the capybara, the tufted capuchin, the white-lipped peccary, the greater bulldog bat, the Southern Amazon red squirrel, the marsh deer, the water opossum, the red brocket, the brown-throated sloth, the black-capped squirrel monkey, the South American tapir, the southern tamandua, the moustached tamarin, the pacarana, etc.[10] Mammals reported from mountain zones in the park include: the white-tailed deer, the Andean fox, the mountain paca, the long-tailed weasel, the montane guinea pig, the spectacled bear, etc.[10]
More than 1000 bird species have been estimated to exist in the park.[1] Birds reported for the lowland rainforest in the park include: the great tinamou, Spix's guan, the rufescent tiger-heron, the blue-and-yellow macaw, the silvery grebe, the harpy eagle, the long-billed starthroat, the snowy egret, the king vulture, the scarlet macaw, the roseate spoonbill, the blue-crowned trogon, the turquoise tanager, the Amazonian pygmy owl, the blue-headed parrot, etc.[10] Birds present in the mountain zones in the park include: the Andean tinamou, the great horned owl, the torrent duck, the yellow-billed pintail, the amethyst-throated sunangel, the Andean guan, the puna ibis, the golden-collared tanager, the Andean condor, the collared inca, the solitary eagle, the Andean cock-of-the-rock, the mountain caracara, the mitred parakeet, the sapphire-vented puffleg, the giant hummingbird, etc.[10]
The 155 amphibian species found in the park include:
In addition, 210 species of fish, 300 species of ants, 650 species of beetles, 136 species of dragonflies and more than 1300 species of butterflies have been reported in the park so far.[1]
Anthropology
Among the
Facilities
There are five areas open to tourists where local biodiversity can be watched along paths, swamps,
Scientific research is also done at the park, with many research centers in or around the area.[1]
See also
Bibliography
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Del Manu – Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado". www.gob.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-05-18.
- ^ "Parque Nacional del Manu | Legislación". legislacionanp.org.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-05-18.
- ^ "Amplían el Parque Nacional del Manu | Legislación". legislacionanp.org.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-05-18.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Manú National Park". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
- ^ "Manu". WWF. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
- ^ Erik Iverson (2024-03-19). "Road paving in a Peruvian bird paradise threatens wildlife and ecotourism". Mongabay. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ ISSN 1727-9933.
- ^ Moscoso, D.; Salinas, N.; Nauray, W. (2003). "Orquídeas del Valle de Cosñipata, Parte Alta de la Reserva de Biósfera del Manu, Cusco – Peru". Lyonia. 3 (2): 283–390.
- ^ Hensold, Nancy (22 November 2021). "Solving the Decades-Long Mystery of Manu". Field Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d Patterson, B. D., Stotz, D. F., & Solari, S. (2006). Mammals and Birds of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru. Fieldiana: Zoology, new series, 110: 1-49. online PDF Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Catenazzi, Alessandro; Lehr, Edgar; von May, Rudolf (2013). "The amphibians and reptiles of Manu National Park and its buffer zone, Amazon basin and eastern slopes of the Andes, Peru". Biota Neotropica. 13 (4): 269–283.
External links
- Official UNESCO website entry
- The Living Edens: Manu
- Cocha Cashu Biological Station
- Frogs of Acjanaco, Manu National Park