Cordillera Azul National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul) is a protected area in Peru. It protects part of the Ucayali moist forests ecoregion.
History
In 1963, the Biavo-Cordillera Azul National Forest was created, covering 2,178,000 hectares. In 1997, this area was designated for timber production, allowing logging activities. In 1999, Red Ambiental Peruana (a group of several non-profit organizations) and COPRI (the authority responsible for timber rights) studied the region and decided to protect the northern section because of its rich biodiversity. In 2000, the Cordillera Azul Reserved Zone was established in the mountainous area of the national forest. A team from the Field Museum conducted a study of the area’s biodiversity. Based on this study, the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture suggested the region be protected as a national park. The Cordillera Azul National Park was created in 2001 during the leadership of President Valentín Paniagua.
Geography
Cordillera Azul National Park is found in the regions of San Martin, Loreto, Huanuco, and Ucayali, between the Huallaga and Ucayali rivers. The park has elevations ranging from 100 to 2,350 meters. Its main landscape includes mountains, hills, and wide valleys. Some mountains in the park have very steep slopes, and landslides happen often. In the southern part of the park, there is an area of highland swamps at an elevation of 1,400 meters. At the northern end of the park, the Huallaga River creates a gap in the mountain range, east of Chazuta. This feature is called Pongo de Aguirre.
Ecology
Montane forests make up most of the park, but there are also areas with dry forests to the west and lowland Amazon rainforest to the east. Some of the plant species found in the area include Ceiba insignis, Ficus spp., Tabernaemontana sananho, Inga spp., Swietenia macrophylla, Triplaris americana, Miconia spp., Couroupita guianensis, Ocotea javitensis, Sciodaphyllum spp., Erythrina ulei, Alchornea triplinervia, Terminalia amazonia, Calophyllum brasiliense, Pouteria spp., Cedrela fissilis, Epidendrum spp., Schizolobium parahyba, Bactris gasipaes, Cecropia spp., Hevea guianensis, Dracontium spruceanum, Attalea maripa, Brosimum alicastrum, Asplenium serratum, Heliconia rostrata, Carludovica palmata, Solanum grandiflorum, Geogenanthus poeppigii, Myroxylon balsamum, Brunfelsia grandiflora, Calycophyllum spruceanum, Mauritia flexuosa, Virola calophylla, Desmoncus polyacanthos, Podocarpus oleifolius, Theobroma cacao, Cedrelinga cateniformis, Zamia poeppigiana, Amburana cearensis, Margaritaria nobilis, Jacaranda copaia, Eugenia spp., Spondias mombin, and Maxillaria graminifolia, among others.
Some of the fish species found in the park include Hoplias malabaricus, Rineloricaria lanceolata, Leporinus spp., Piaractus brachypomus, Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, Zungaro zungaro, Crossoloricaria rhami, and others.
Some of the birds that live in the park include the great tinamou, the fasciated tiger heron, the scarlet macaw, the osprey, the muscovy duck, the violet-headed hummingbird, the sunbittern, the short-tailed parrot, the white-booted racket-tail, the king vulture, the little blue heron, the harpy eagle, the jabiru, the blue-and-yellow macaw, the fork-tailed palm swift, the Cordillera Azul antbird, and other species.
Mammals found in the area include the Amazon dwarf squirrel, the bush dog, the puma, the common opossum, the brown-mantled tamarin, the Peruvian spider monkey, the jaguar, the white-lipped peccary, the red brocket, the South American tapir, the tayra, and other species.
Environmental issues
Building roads without permission and cutting down trees for farming happens inside the park. Park rangers and people from nearby villages check the area.