Yacurí National Park

Yacurí National Park
Parque Nacional Yacurí
IUCN category II (national park)

Laguna Negra ("black lake"), Yacurí National Park
Map showing the location of Yacurí National Park

Map of Ecuador

Location Zamora Chinchipe and Loja, Ecuador
Nearest city Amaluza
Coordinates 4°42′22″S 79°21′54″W / 4.706°S 79.365°WCoordinates: 4°42′22″S 79°21′54″W / 4.706°S 79.365°W[1]
Area 431 km2 (166 sq mi)
Established 2009
http://www.ambiente.gob.ec/?q=node/236&page=0,0

Yacurí National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Yacurí) is a 431-square-kilometre (166 sq mi) National Park in Ecuador located on the border between the provinces Loja and Zamora Chinchipe.[2] It is part of a larger Protected Forest of 733 km2 (283 sq mi).[3] It was founded in 2009.[4] The headwaters for both the Chinchipe-Mayo (east) and Catamayo-Chira (west) water basins are in the park.[2]

Flora

The Park contains a variety of ecosystems. Most of the park is in one of the following:

The park contains 280 plant species. 32 of them are endemic to the park. Two of the species are endangered and 11 are vulnerable.

Fauna

There are 18 species of mammals in the park of which five are endangered. Mammals include the vulnerable Cougar (puma concolor), the endangered Mountain Tapir(Tapirus pinchaque) and the endangered Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus).[3] There are 111 bird species of which four are endangered and 11 amphibian species of which four are endangered.[2]

Attractions

The national park has over 46 high-altitude lakes. The most commonly visited lakes are:

References

  1. "Parque Nacional Yacurí Map" (pdf). Ministerio del Ambiente, Ecuador. June 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Yacurí". Ministerio del Ambiente, Ecuador. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Plan de Manejo de Yacurí" (pdf). Ministerio del Ambiente, Ecuador. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
  4. "Acuerdo 138" (pdf). Ministerio del Ambiente, Ecuador. 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2011-07-14.

External links