Cueva de los Guácharos
Encyclopedia
The Cueva de los Guácharos National Park (spanish for cave of oilbirds), created in 1960, is the oldest of the 51 protected area
s of Colombia
. The park is located in the western face of the Colombian Eastern Andean Range (Cordillera Oriental) in the departments of Huila
and Caquetá. It covers an area of 90 km2 corresponding to the karstic zones of the Magdalena
and Caquetá Rivers.
The park is intended to protect the cloud forest
and páramo
ecosystems. This area hosts one of the last intact oak
forests in the country (with the native oak species Quercus humboldtii, Bonpland, Fagaceae, and Colombobalanus excelsa, (Lozano, 1979)).
The park was named after the nocturnal guácharo bird
(Steatornis caripensis, ordo Caprimulgiformes, family Steatornithidae), which lives in caves in the park.
Research to determine the exact number of species in the area is inadequate for a complete statement. Some recorded species are:
and cattle
cause problems as well as the timber industry and hunting
in the park grounds. Illegal crop
s such as coca
and opium poppy
(heroin) are cultivated illegally in the park.
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. The park is located in the western face of the Colombian Eastern Andean Range (Cordillera Oriental) in the departments of Huila
Huila Department
Huila is one of the departments of Colombia. It is located in the southwest of the country, and its capital is Neiva.-Geography:The south of the department is located in the Colombian Massif...
and Caquetá. It covers an area of 90 km2 corresponding to the karstic zones of the Magdalena
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
and Caquetá Rivers.
The park is intended to protect the cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
and páramo
Páramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
ecosystems. This area hosts one of the last intact oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
forests in the country (with the native oak species Quercus humboldtii, Bonpland, Fagaceae, and Colombobalanus excelsa, (Lozano, 1979)).
The park was named after the nocturnal guácharo bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
(Steatornis caripensis, ordo Caprimulgiformes, family Steatornithidae), which lives in caves in the park.
Biodiversity
Mammals
| Species | family | common name | range | conservation status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagothrix lagotricha lugens (Humboldt) | Cebidae/Atelinae | churuco monkey | High Amazon valley | ? |
| Cebus CEBus CEBus, short for Consumer Electronics Bus, also known as EIA-600, is a set of electrical standards and communication protocols for electronic devices to transmit commands and data... apella (Linné) |
Cebidae/Cebinae | corn monkey | Andes\Amazonas | ? |
| Ateles paniscus (Linné) (!) | Cebidae/Atelinae | marimonda | mid and low Amazon valley (!) | ? specie is maybe Ateles belzebuth |
| Mazama Brocket Deer Brocket deer are the species of deer in the genus Mazama. They are medium to small in size, and are found in the Yucatán Peninsula, Central and South America, and the island of Trinidad. Most species are primarily found in forests. They are superficially similar to the African duikers and the Asian... americana (Erxleben) |
Cervidae/Odocoileinae | páramo deer | Neotropic | ? |
| Mazama Brocket Deer Brocket deer are the species of deer in the genus Mazama. They are medium to small in size, and are found in the Yucatán Peninsula, Central and South America, and the island of Trinidad. Most species are primarily found in forests. They are superficially similar to the African duikers and the Asian... rufina (Lesson) |
Cervidae/Odocoileinae | páramo deer | ? | ? |
| Pudu Pudú The pudús are two species of South American deer from the genus Pudu; the world's smallest deer. The name is a loanword from Mapudungun the language of the indigenous Mapuche people of southern Chile... mephistophiles (De Winton) |
Cervidae/Odocoileinae | rabbit deer | North andean: N Ecuador- S Colombia | ? |
| Tapirus pinchaque Mountain Tapir The Mountain Tapir or Woolly Tapir is the smallest of the four species of tapir and is the only one to live outside of tropical rainforests in the wild... (Roulin) |
Tapiridae | páramo tapir | North andean: N Ecuador- Colombia | threatened |
Environmental issues
Settlements for agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
cause problems as well as the timber industry and hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
in the park grounds. Illegal crop
Crop
Crop may refer to:* Crop, a plant grown and harvested for agricultural use* Crop , part of the alimentary tract of some animals* Crop , a modified whip used in horseback riding or disciplining humans...
s such as coca
Coca
Coca, Erythroxylum coca, is a plant in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. The plant plays a significant role in many traditional Andean cultures...
and opium poppy
Opium poppy
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine , thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine...
(heroin) are cultivated illegally in the park.