Manú National Park
Encyclopedia
Manú National Park is a biosphere reserve
located in Madre de Dios and Paucartambo, Cusco. Before becoming an area protected by the Peruvian government, the Manú 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 Biosphere Reserve
and in 1987, it was pronounced a World Heritage Site
. It is the largest National Park in Peru, covering an area of 15,328 km². The Biosphere Reserve includes an additional 2,570 km², and a further 914 km² are included in a "Cultural Zone" (which also is afforded a level of protection), bringing the total area up to 18,811 km².
The park protects several ecological zones
ranging from as low as 150 meters above sea level
in parts of the Southwest Amazon moist forests
to Peruvian Yungas
at middle elevations to Central Andean wet puna
at altitudes of 4200 meters. 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 Manú, 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 1000 species of birds, more than the number of bird species found in the United States and Canada combined. It is also acclaimed as having one of the highest abundances of land vertebrates ever found in Latin American tropical forests.
of the Manú 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 Manú 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.
, hunting
, logging
, and harvesting of other resources. These areas, notably downstream on the Manú River, are included in the broader Manú 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.
The Manu Learning Centre
(MLC) lies within the Cultural Zone of the Manu Biosphere Reserve
along the South-Eastern border with the Alto Madre de Dios River
. The MLC facilitates research work within the disturbed 'buffer' zone of the park where human impact is at its greatest.
, including varzea
, oxbow lakes, Iriartea
palm swamps, and upland forest types.
, puma, ocelot, giant otter, giant anteater
, southern tamandua
, giant armadillo
, nine-banded armadillo
, brown-throated sloth, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth
, Brazilian tapir
, capybara
, pacarana
, lowland paca, collared peccary
, white-lipped peccary
and several deer species, like South American red brocket
, and South American brown brocket
. The marsh deer
, actually rather a savannna animal, has also been confirmed. There are 14 species of monkeys. These are Goeldi's marmoset
, pygmy marmoset
, shock-headed capuchin
(Cebus albifrons cuscinus), tufted capuchin
(Cebus apella peruanus), Brown-mantled tamarin
, emperor tamarin
, moustached tamarin
, black-capped squirrel monkey
, black-headed night monkey
, brown titi
, Rio Tapajós saki
, Bolivian red howler
, Peruvian spider monkey
, and gray woolly monkey
. Confined to the mountainous areas above ca. 2000 m are Peruvian white-tailed deer
, dwarf brocket
, culpeo
, mountain paca
and spectacled bear
. The puma also reaches very high elevations of up to 3450 m.
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
located in Madre de Dios and Paucartambo, Cusco. Before becoming an area protected by the Peruvian government, the Manú National Park was conserved thanks to its inaccessibility. The park remains fairly inaccessible by road to this day. In 1977, UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
recognised it as a Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
and in 1987, it was pronounced a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. It is the largest National Park in Peru, covering an area of 15,328 km². The Biosphere Reserve includes an additional 2,570 km², and a further 914 km² are included in a "Cultural Zone" (which also is afforded a level of protection), bringing the total area up to 18,811 km².
The park protects several ecological zones
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
ranging from as low as 150 meters above sea level
Meters above sea level
Meters above sea Level is a standard metric measurement of the elevation of a location in reference to historic mean sea level; the determination of what actually constitutes mean sea level over time however, may be determined by other parameters, such as the effects of climate history and climate...
in parts of the Southwest Amazon moist forests
Southwest Amazon moist forests
Southwest Amazon moist forests are an ecoregion located in the Upper Amazon Basin. The region is characterized by a relatively flat landscape with alluvial plains dissected by undulating hills or high terraces. The biota of the southwest Amazon moist forest is very rich because of these dramatic...
to Peruvian Yungas
Peruvian Yungas
The Peruvian Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of Peru.-Setting:The Peruvian Yungas occur on the eastern slopes and valleys of the Peruvian Andes...
at middle elevations to Central Andean wet puna
Central Andean wet puna
The Central Andean wet puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia.-Setting:This ecoregion occurs above and consists of high-elevation, wet, montane grasslands amid lakes, plateaus, valleys, and high mountains. It is bordered on the west by the Sechura...
at altitudes of 4200 meters. Because of this topographical range, it has one of highest levels of biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of any park in the world. Overall, more than 15,000 species of plants are found in Manú, 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 1000 species of birds, more than the number of bird species found in the United States and Canada combined. It is also acclaimed as having one of the highest abundances of land vertebrates ever found in Latin American tropical forests.
Park layout
The park encompasses virtually the entire watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Manú River
Manu River
The Manú is a river in southeastern Peru. It runs down the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains into the Amazon Basin. It runs through the Manú National Park, a vast Biosphere Reserve, home to arguably the highest concentration of biodiversity on Earth. Few people live along its length...
, from the sources of its tributaries high in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, to its emptying into the Madre de Dios River
Madre de Dios River
The Madre de Dios River, homonymous to the Peruvian region it runs through, then becomes the Beni River in Bolivia and then turns northward into Brazil, where it is called the Madeira River...
. As the surrounding area is largely undeveloped
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
, the only direct access to the lowlands is by boat, up the Manú River
Manu River
The Manú is a river in southeastern Peru. It runs down the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains into the Amazon Basin. It runs through the Manú National Park, a vast Biosphere Reserve, home to arguably the highest concentration of biodiversity on Earth. Few people live along its length...
. 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, Manú is operated by INRENA, the National Natural Resources Institute (Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales).Humans in the park
Permanent human habitation is restricted to several small communities of the Matsigenga Amazonian tribal group, largely along the Manú river or one of its main tributaries. Several protected areas adjoining the park allow mixed use including tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, 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...
, logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, and harvesting of other resources. These areas, notably downstream on the Manú River, are included in the broader Manú 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
Cocha Cashu Biological Station
Cocha Cashu Biological Station is a tropical biological research station located at 11° 54'S and 71° 22'W in Manú National Park, Peru. It was established in 1969-70, predating the founding of its containing national park . Though only 10 km2 in area, the site has provided valuable research...
, under the guidance of renowned Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
ecologist John Terborgh
John Terborgh
John W. Terborgh is a conservation biologist.Terborgh graduated from Harvard College in 1958 and received his PhD in plant physiology from Harvard University in 1963....
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.
The Manu Learning Centre
Manu Learning Centre
The Manu Learning Centre is located within the Fundo Mascoitania Reserve, a 643 hectare private nature reserve, encompassed within the cultural zone of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest protected areas in Peru. It is home to a variety of rainforest...
(MLC) lies within the Cultural Zone of the Manu Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
along the South-Eastern border with the Alto Madre de Dios River
Madre de Dios River
The Madre de Dios River, homonymous to the Peruvian region it runs through, then becomes the Beni River in Bolivia and then turns northward into Brazil, where it is called the Madeira River...
. The MLC facilitates research work within the disturbed 'buffer' zone of the park where human impact is at its greatest.
Flora
More than 20,000 species. 40% of the park is Amazonian lowland tropical rainforestTropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
, including varzea
Freshwater swamp forest
Freshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests, are forests which are inundated with freshwater, either permanently or seasonally. They normally occur along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes...
, oxbow lakes, Iriartea
Iriartea
Iriartea is a genus in the palm family Arecaceae, native to Central and South America. The best-known species – and probably the only one – is Iriartea deltoidea, which is found from Nicaragua south into Bolivia. It is the most common tree in many forests in which it occurs...
palm swamps, and upland forest types.
Fauna
The Manú Biosphere Reserve has a very rich wildlife. Larger species of the lowland forests include jaguarJaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
, puma, ocelot, giant otter, giant anteater
Giant Anteater
The Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, is the largest species of anteater. It is the only species in the genus Myrmecophaga. It is found in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina...
, southern tamandua
Southern Tamandua
The southern tamandua, also called a collared anteater, or lesser anteater , is a species of anteater from South America. It is a solitary animal, found in many habitats from mature to highly disturbed secondary forests and arid savannas. It feeds on ants, termites and bees...
, giant armadillo
Giant Armadillo
The giant armadillo , colloquially tatou, ocarro, tatu-canastra or tatú carreta, is the largest living species of armadillo...
, nine-banded armadillo
Nine-banded Armadillo
The nine-banded armadillo , or the nine-banded, long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos...
, brown-throated sloth, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is a species of sloth from Central and South America. It is a solitary nocturnal and arboreal animal, found in mature and secondary rainforests and deciduous forests...
, Brazilian tapir
Brazilian Tapir
The South American Tapir , or Brazilian Tapir or Lowland Tapir or Anta, is one of four species in the tapir family, along with the Mountain Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, and Baird's Tapir...
, capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
, pacarana
Pacarana
The Pacarana is a rare and slow-moving nocturnal rodent found only in tropical forests of the western Amazon River basin and adjacent foothills of the Andes Mountains from northwestern Venezuela and Colombia to western Bolivia, including the yungas. One place that it is common is Cotapata National...
, lowland paca, collared peccary
Collared Peccary
The collared peccary is a species of mammal in the family Tayassuidae that is found in North, Central, and South America. They are commonly referred to as javelina, saíno or báquiro, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the family...
, white-lipped peccary
White-lipped Peccary
The White-lipped Peccary, Tayassu pecari, is a peccary species found in Central and South America, living in rainforest, dry forest and chaco scrub. It is monotypic within the genus Tayassu....
and several deer species, like South American red brocket
Red Brocket
The Red Brocket , is a species of brocket deer from forests in South America, ranging from northern Argentina to Colombia and the Guianas...
, and South American brown brocket
Brown Brocket
The Brown Brocket or Gray Brocket is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Cervidae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.-Source:* Deer Specialist Group 2000. . Downloaded on...
. The marsh deer
Marsh Deer
The Marsh Deer, Blastocerus dichotomus , is the largest deer species from South America reaching a length of and a height of at the rump. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
, actually rather a savannna animal, has also been confirmed. There are 14 species of monkeys. These are Goeldi's marmoset
Goeldi's Marmoset
Goeldi's marmoset or Goeldi's monkey is a small, South American New World monkey that lives in the upper Amazon Basin region of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru...
, pygmy marmoset
Pygmy Marmoset
The pygmy marmoset or dwarf monkey is a New World monkey native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia. It is one of the smallest primates, and the smallest true monkey, with its body length ranging from...
, shock-headed capuchin
White-fronted Capuchin
The white-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons, is a species of capuchin monkey, a type of New World primate, found in seven different countries in South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago...
(Cebus albifrons cuscinus), tufted capuchin
Tufted Capuchin
The tufted capuchin , also known as brown capuchin or black-capped capuchin is a New World primate from South America...
(Cebus apella peruanus), Brown-mantled tamarin
Brown-mantled Tamarin
The brown-mantled tamarin , also known as the saddleback tamarin or the Andean saddle-back tamarin, is a species of tamarin from South America...
, emperor tamarin
Emperor Tamarin
The Emperor Tamarin is a tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. It lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas....
, moustached tamarin
Moustached Tamarin
The moustached tamarin or Spix's moustached tamarin is a tamarin found in tropical forests in Brazil and Peru. It is black with a white moustache, white nose, and brownish back...
, black-capped squirrel monkey
Black-capped Squirrel Monkey
The black-capped squirrel monkey is a South American squirrel monkey, found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. This South American monkey can be found at the Ellen Trout Zoo.-Subspecies:...
, black-headed night monkey
Black-headed Night Monkey
The Black-headed night monkey is a night monkey species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.-References:...
, brown titi
Brown Titi
The brown titi, Callicebus brunneus, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.-External links:*...
, Rio Tapajós saki
Rio Tapajós Saki
The Rio Tapajós saki is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru....
, Bolivian red howler
Bolivian Red Howler
The Bolivian red howler is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to Bolivia.-External links:* *...
, Peruvian spider monkey
Peruvian Spider Monkey
The Peruvian spider monkey is a species of spider monkey that lives not only in Peru, but also in Brazil and Bolivia. At two feet long, they are relatively large among species of monkey, and their strong, prehensile tails can be up to three feet long. Unlike many species of monkey, they have...
, and gray woolly monkey
Gray Woolly Monkey
The gray woolly monkey, Lagothrix cana, is a woolly monkey species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru....
. Confined to the mountainous areas above ca. 2000 m are Peruvian white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, dwarf brocket
Dwarf Brocket
The Dwarf Brocket , or Chunyi, is a small species of deer native to the Andean highlands in western Bolivia and south-eastern Peru, where found in forest and páramo. Its pelage is redddish-brown with dark grey foreparts and neck. The underparts are lighter brown, and the muzzle short and thick...
, culpeo
Culpeo
The culpeo , sometimes known as the culpeo zorro or Andean fox , is a South American species of wild dog. It is the second largest native canid on the continent after the maned wolf. In its appearance it bears many similarities to the widely recognized red fox...
, mountain paca
Mountain Paca
The Mountain Paca is a small burrow-dwelling rodent whose habitats are high altitude South American forests. Pacas are nocturnal, sedentary, and solitary animals with territorial tendencies. It eats mostly fruits and seeds...
and spectacled bear
Spectacled Bear
The spectacled bear , also known as the Andean bear and locally as ukuko, jukumari or ucumari, is the last remaining short-faced bear and the closest living relative to the Florida spectacled bear and short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age.The spectacled bear is a...
. The puma also reaches very high elevations of up to 3450 m.
- Mammals : 222 species
- Reptiles : 99 species
- Amphibians : 140 species
- Birds : 1000 species
- FishFishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
: 210 species - Insects (numerous undescribed species not included)
- Butterflies : 1307 species
- Ants : 300 species
- Dragonflies : 136 species
- Beetles : 650 species
See also
- Petroglyphs of PusharoPusharoThe Petroglyphs of Pusharo constitute a unique and extensive ancient rock art site in southeast Peru's Manu National Park, a jungled expanse that still contains unexplored and little known areas, and for which an official government permit is required for entry....
- Iperu, tourist information and assistanceIperu, tourist information and assistanceIperú, Tourist Information and Assistance, or simply iperú is the free tourism office provided by the Peruvian government through the Commission for the Promotion of Export and Tourism Peru and the National Institute for Defense Competition and Protection of...
- Tourism in PeruTourism in PeruTourism in Peru make up the nation's third largest industry, behind fishing and mining. Tourism is directed towards archeological monuments, ecotourism in the Peruvian Amazon, cultural tourism in colonial cities, gastronomic tourism, adventure tourism, and beach tourism. According to a Peruvian...
- The Jungle Ultra Marathon Peru