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Manu National Park
Manu National Park is a biosphere reserve located in Madre de Dios and Paucartambo, Cusco. Before becoming an area protected by the Peruvian government, the Manu National Park was conserved thanks to its inaccessibility. The park remains fairly inaccessible by road to this day. In 1977, UNESCO recognised it as a Reserve of Biosphere and in 1987, it was pronounced a World Heritage Site. It is the largest National Park in Peru, covering an area of 15,328 km.
The park protects all of the ecological zones that exist in the Amazon Basin, covering an altitudinal gradient between 150 and 4200 meters above sea level. Because of this topographical range, it has one of highest levels of biodiversity of any park in the world. Overall, more than 15,000 species of plants are found in Manu, and up to 250 varieties of trees have been found in a single hectare. The reserve is a destination for birdwatchers from all over the world, as it is home to over 800 species of birds, nearly the total for all of North America.
Park layout
The park encompasses virtually the entire watershed of the Manu River, from the sources of its tributaries high in the Andes, to its emptying into the Madre de Dios River. As the surrounding area is largely undeveloped, the only direct access to the lowlands is by boat, up the Manu River. This singular entry point is easily patrolled by park guards. The road Cusco-Paucartambo-Shintuya borders the southern section of the park and provides access to high-Andean ecosystems, such as grasslands (puna) and montane forest and scrub.
Park administration
As with all national parks in Peru, Manu is operated by INRENA, the National Natural Resources Institute (Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales).
Habitacion Humana
Permanent human habitation is restricted to several small communities of the Matsigenga Amazonian tribal group, largely along the Manu river or one of its main tributaries. Several protected areas adjoining the park allow mixed use including tourism, hunting, logging, and harvesting of other resources. These areas, notably downstream on the Manu River, are included in the broader Manu biosphere reserve, but are not part of the national park.
Visitors within the national park include medical and educational professionals upon invitation by the indigenous community, and researchers with permits from INRENA. The Cocha Cashu Biological Station, under the guidance of renowned Duke University ecologist John Terborgh is the largest and most established research site in the park, and is among the most well-studied sites for biological and ecological research in the tropics.
Flora
More than 20,000 species. 40% of the park is Amazonian lowland tropical rainforest, including varzea, oxbow lakes, Iriartea palm swamps, and upland forest types.
Fauna
Mammals : 159 species
Reptiles : 99 species
Amphibians : 140 species
Birds : 800 species
Fish : 210 species
Insects (numerous undescribed species not included)
*Butterflies : 1307 species
*Ants : 300 species
*Dragonflies : 136 species
*Beetles : 650 species
External links
World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Manu national park information from UNEP
Cocha Cashu Biological Station
Frogs of Acjanaco, Manu National Park
Tambopata National Reserve & Manu
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Manu National Park
