Cordillera Azul National Park
From Wiki Sumaq Peru
It is the second largest national park in the country. Not only houses the largest mountain forest of our territory, but also concentrates the most extraordinary variety of habitats throughout Peru. The Cordillera Azul National Park is a true paradise on earth where the diversity of flora and fauna is still almost intact.
The Cordillera Azul National Park, originates in the categorization process and final delimitation of the area reserved Biabo Cordillera Azul, and was declared as such by Supreme Decree No. 031-2001-AG of May 21, 2001.
Its purpose is to conserve threatened habitats such as swamps of high, biological communities in acid rock, spongy forests and small forest, reddish rocks eroded hills, slopes of hills and forests, isolated lakes, streams and creeks of high.
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Location
The National Park Cordillera Azul is located between the Huallaga and Ucayali rivers, in the department of San Martin, Loreto, Ucayali and Huanuco, with a total length of 1.3 million has and a perimeter of nearly 974 km, making it the third largest park in Peru and one of the largest in the world.
It is bordered with 17 Native Communities duly recognized and headed by the State, which cover 95.737 has. Also with Forests of Permanent Production (BPP), i.e. for forest exploitation in San Martin, Huanuco, Loreto and Ucayali.
A little of History
Only in 2000, after the first biological inventory in the zone --organized by the Field Museum of Chicago--, was established The Reserved Zone Biabo Cordillera Azul and finally, in 2001 was formalized the Cordillera Azul National Park between the basins Huallaga and Ucayali. This category gives the natural area maximum protection under Peruvian law. For its diverse landscape and environment --ranging from high mountains to extensive forests of the amazon plains-- the park has a high biodiversity, and even more so, it is particularly rich in endemic species, i.e. species that are not found in anywhere else in the world.
Research has enabled estimate about 6,000 plant species and 800 of birds, as well as confirm the presence of 30 new-to-science species, including the bearded chest scarlet (Capito wallacei), which lives only in the tops of some few hills of the park; a small sample of their great variety of animals and plants.
Objective
The park was created to protect this unique diversity of plants, animals and unusual geological formations, because as well as they intrinsic value, they safeguard important watersheds that provide water and other environmental services to hundreds of communities outside the park, this is why it is also recognized the importance of involving local people in the care and management of the adjacent areas.
Description
The transition area between the high Andes and the Amazon, known in Peru as high jungle, is one of the areas of greatest natural ecoregions or biodiversity, i.e. with the highest variety of plants and animals in the world, but also among the most threatened.
In its northern part, extends a series of unique geological formations; The Cordillera Azul preserves the largest area of mountainous forests intact in Peru, here the Master Plan of the National System of Protected Natural Areas identified in 1995 two of the 38 priority areas for conservation, including the National Forest Biabo Cordillera Azul established in 1961.
Areas
The areas recognized within the Cordillera Azul National Park, are as follows:
Strict Protection Zone
This area includes zones where the ecosystems have little or no intervention, or include places with unique, rare or fragile species or ecosystems, which, in order to maintain their values, required to be free from the influence of factors other than natural processes, in this way this zone retains the characteristics and quality of the original environment. These areas are permitted only for proper management activities in the area, monitoring the environment, and exceptionally scientific research.
Wild Zone
They are spaces that have undergone little or no human intervention and in which dominates the wild; but they are less vulnerable than the areas included in the strict protection zone. In these areas it is possible, in addition to the administration and control, scientific research, education and recreation without permanent infrastructure or motor vehicles.
Zone Recovery
This is a transitional zone, which applies to areas that of natural causes or human intervention, have suffered major damage and require special handling to recover their environmental quality and stability.
Special Use Zone
They are spaces occupied by human settlements prior to the establishment of the Protected Natural Area (ANP - Área Natural Protegida), or where for special situations, there is some kind of agricultural, livestock, or other activities that involve the transformation of the original ecosystem.
Weather
It is influenced by its latitude and proximity to the inter-tropical convergence zone and by the different height levels it has, but is generally mild and rainy in areas exceeding 400 masl and hot and humid in the plain Amazon.
Likewise, the entire region is subject to a pattern of dry periods, between the months of June or July until October or November and eventually it presents cold winds from the south, known locally as "Friajes". The highest mountains in the north and east area of the Cordillera Azul constitute a barrier from humidity that comes from the Amazon plain and therefore, in the northeast of the park, forests are markedly drier in varying altitudes.
