Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Coordinates: 16°06′08″S 71°13′08″W / 16.1021°S 71.219°W / -16.1021; -71.219
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve
Moquegua
Nearest cityArequipa
Area3,669.36 km2 (1,416.75 sq mi)
Established09 August 1979
Governing bodySERNANP
WebsiteReserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca

Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve is a

Moquegua; Peru. The main purpose of this area is to protect the local flora, fauna and landscape formations.[1]

History

The area was declared a national reserve on 9 August 1979 by decree N° 070-79-AA.[1] Lake Salinas and Lake Del Indio, both located inside the reserve, were designated as Ramsar sites in 2003.[2][3]

Guanacos with Misti volcano in the background at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

Geography

Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve is located in the provinces of

Moquegua.[1] It spans an area of 366,936 hectares (3,669.36 km2)[1] which covers the headwaters of important local rivers like Yura and Chili.[4]

The landscape features high Andean plateaus dotted by lakes and meadows; and surrounded by volcanoes like

camelids, flamingoes and Andean forests, it has since become a protected water source for the city of Arequipa.[1] Precipitation carried by the eastern winds is captured by the local vegetation and stored in the lakes, meadows and soil; thus giving a valuable environmental service to the region.[1]

The reserve is populated to some extent; most of its territory belongs to thirteen peasant communities and more than 100 private smallholders recognized by law.[1]

Ecology

The area is representative of the puna ecosystem.[4]

Flora

A total of 358 plant species in 155 genera and 47 families have been found in the area, mostly shrubs and herbs; only one species is a tree (Polylepis sp.) which forms pure stands.[1][4] Some plants found in the reserve are: Jarava ichu, Nassella depauperata, Lepidophyllum quadrangulare, Parastrephia lepidophylla, Festuca ortophylla, Nassella mexicana, Azorella compacta, Pycnophyllum molle, Werneria paposa, Calamagrostis curvula, Baccharis buxifolia, Alchemilla pinnata, Distichia muscoides, Ranunculus flagelliformis, Myrosmodes sp., among others.[4]

Fauna

Flamingoes at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

Some mammals native to the reserve are: the

Andean fox.[1]

Among the birds native to the reserve are: the Andean goose, the crested duck, the Andean flamingo, James's flamingo, the Tamarugo conebill, the silvery grebe and the giant coot.[4]

Two threatened species of amphibians, Telmatobius arequipensis and Rhinella spinulosa, inhabit the reserve.[4]

Activities

trekking can be done in the numerous paths inside the reserve,[1] while enjoying the landscape emmarked by the volcanoes of the area where mountaineering can be practiced.[1][5] It is possible to visit volcanic and geothermal land features like the Chucura volcanic crater and the Umalaso hot springs.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "De Salinas y Aguada Blanca - Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado". www.sernanp.gob.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  2. ^ "Bofedales y Laguna de Salinas | Ramsar Sites Information Service". rsis.ramsar.org. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  3. ^ "Laguna del Indio - Dique de los Españoles | Ramsar Sites Information Service". rsis.ramsar.org. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Plan Maestro de la Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca 2006-2011 (PDF) (in Spanish). SERNANP. 2006.
  5. ISBN 9780953608720
    .

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

16°06′08″S 71°13′08″W / 16.1021°S 71.219°W / -16.1021; -71.219

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Salinas_y_Aguada_Blanca_National_Reserve&oldid=1023034806"