The Rio Abiseo National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional del Río Abiseo) is in the San Martín department of Peru. UNESCO named it a Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity (World Heritage Site) in 1990. The park has many types of plants and animals, as well as more than 30 pre-Columbian archaeological sites. The park has been closed to visitors since 1986 because the natural and archaeological areas are very delicate and need protection.
Geography and climate
The park is located in the San Martín Region of Peru, between the Marañón and Huallaga rivers. It covers an area of about 2,745 square kilometers and includes 70% of the Abiseo river basin. The highest point in the park reaches 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) above sea level, while the lowest area is 350 meters (1,150 feet) above sea level.
The park protects three different ecoregions: Ucayali moist forests at lower elevations, Peruvian Yungas at middle elevations, and Cordillera Central páramo at the highest elevations.
There are at least seven climate zones in the park, including montane forest, tropical alpine forest, montane rainforest, high Andean grasslands (puna), and dry forest. Rainfall in the park ranges from 20 to 80 inches (about 2 meters) each year. The montane cloud forest, which makes up most of the park, is a high-altitude rainforest with short trees, moss, and lichen. This ecosystem is found above about 2,300 meters (7,550 feet). High humidity is always present, and rain falls throughout the year, especially at higher elevations. The soil in this area is acidic.
Wildlife
The yellow-tailed woolly monkey, Oreonax flavicauda, once believed to be extinct, is now known to live in the park and appears to be found only in this region. Because this monkey is in danger of disappearing, the area became a national park and was added to the World Heritage Sites list in 1983.
Other animals living in the park include:
- Andean guan, Penelope montagnii
- Venezuelan red howler, Alouatta seniculus
- White-fronted spider monkey, Ateles belzebuth (endangered)
- Jaguar, Panthera onca
- King vulture, Sarcoramphus papa
- Three-striped night monkey, Aotus trivirgatus
- Curassow, Crax salvini
- Peruvian guemal, Hippocamelus antisensis (endangered)
- Mountain paca or punatuacher, Agouti tazcanowskii (endangered)
- Southern pochard duck, Netta erythrophthalma
- Spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus (endangered)
- Turkey vulture, Cathartes aura
- White-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons cuscinus
- Hairy long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus pilosus
- Yellow-crowned amazon, Amazona ochrocephala
- Russet-mantled softtail, Phacellodomus berlepschi (endangered)
- Yellow-browed toucanet (endangered)
There are 980 known plant species recorded in the highlands of the park, 13 of which are found only in this area. In the area of the Rio Abiseo, 5,000 plant species have been documented.
Archaeology
The most well-known archaeological site in Rio Abiseo Park is Gran Pajatén, an old settlement that is now in ruins and located on a hill covered with trees, looking down on the Montecristo River canyon. Close by are the ruins of Los Pinchudos, which are tombs built into cliffs. These were discovered by villagers from Pataz in the early 1970s. Gran Pajatén, Los Pinchudos, and other remains found in the park are often believed to belong to the Chachapoyas culture. The largest amount of archaeological research in Rio Abiseo Park was conducted by the University of Colorado during the mid-1980s.