Biodiversity

Because of its altitudinal range (from 4,700 m to 300 m) and latitudinal position, Carrasco National Park harbors an exceptional variety of life zones (14 according to Holdridge’s classification) and ecosystems, which makes it one of the most biologically diverse protected areas in the country.

According to Ibisch and Mérida’s classification system (2003), the park contains the following ecosystems: Sub-Andean Amazon Forests (Sub-Andean Belt), Pre-Andean Amazon Forests, Bolivian-Peruvian Cloud Forests (Yungas), and Inter-Andean Dry Forests.

The Sub-Andean Amazon Forests (Sub-Andean Belt) are found in the northern sector of the park, where the Andes meets the Amazon plain in a transition zone composed of deep valleys and steep cliffs. These moist, evergreen forests contain tall trees (30-35 m), a dense understory, and feature an innumerable variety of epiphytes and vines. These forests display the highest tree diversity. 

The Pre-Andean Amazon Forests are purely Amazonian, although they are contain certain elements of Andean ecosystems. They are located in the foothills towards the northern reaches of the mountain range. These moist, mostly evergreen forests contain tall, buttressed trees ranging in height from 30 to 45 m. These forests have almost completely been lost to the colonization processes taking place in the Chapare province. 

The Bolivian-Peruvian Cloud Forests (Yungas) display certain specific characteristics that differentiate them from the Tucumano-Bolivian Yungas forests on the opposite side of the mountain range, thereby warranting classification in a distinct category. Located in the northeastern part of the Eastern Cordillera, they are characterized by a marked altitudinal stratification (leading to many distinct species associations not differentiated in the present description). These humid, evergreen forests have trees of low to medium stature and due to the high soil instability and frequent landslides, are actually composed of mosaic of forest patches in different successional stages. At the higher elevations, these forests include herbaceous vegetation typical of the paramos. These forests are by far the most species-rich and constitute centers of national endemism for orchids and many other plant species. 

According to experts, the park could harbor several hundred orchid species. Photo: Loic Devaux, (hereafter, LD)

The Inter-Andean Dry Forests - which are only marginally represented within the park (less than 1% of its surface) - are also notably rich in endemisms. The majority of those low-stature (10-20 m), deciduous forests have been destroyed or are seriously degraded and fragmented (Ibisch and Mérida, 2003).

a) Flora

Over 5,000 plant species have been registered in the area, placing the park among the country’s most biologically diverse. Carrasco NP is also among one of the most important reservoirs of genetic resources of commercially valuable species such as cedar (Cedrela odorata) and bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla). No less than 200 orchid species have been recorded inside the protected area. 

The higher Yungas cloud forests are dominated by trees of the Polylepis and Juglans genera as well as a wide variety of palm species and giant ferns. Notable genera in the montane ridge forests (ceja de monte) are Podocarpus, Symplocos, and Weinmannia. In the Yungas Paramo region, once extensive stands of Polylepis pepei have been replaced by scrub formations and anthropogenic grasslands.  

Semi-humid Puna (high-altitude grasslands) in the Colomi (southwestern) sector. Photo: Stéphane Pauquet (herefater, SP)

In the mid- to low-altitude forests, the most remarkable tree species include Acalypha sp., Alchornea sp., Anadenanthera colubrina, Astrocaryum murumur, Astronium urundeuva, Attalea phalerata, Brosimum lactescens, Brunellia sp., Cabralea canjerana, Cedrelinga catenaeformis, Calophyllum brasiliense, Calycophyllum multiflorum, Calycophyllum spruceanum, Cariniana sp., Ceiba pentandra, Cinchona sp., Clarisia racemosa, Clethra sp., Clusia sp., Cyathea sp., Eschweilera andina, Freaziera sp., Gaiadendron punctatum, Geonoma deversa, Guatteria sp., Hedyosmum sp., Hura crepitans, Inga sp., Iriartea deltoidea, Lithraea ternifolia, Miconia sp., Myrica pubescens, Nectandra, Ocotea, Oreopanax, Persea sp., Persea ruizii, Poulsenia armata, Pouteria binocularis, Pseudolmedia laevis, Schinopsis cornuta, Schinopsis haenkeana, Socratea exorrhizaa, Sloanea obtusifolia, Tabebuia impetiginosa, Thibaudia crenulata, Trichilia sp., Virola peruviana, Weinmannia, and Zanthoxylum coco (Ibisch and Mérida, 2003).  

b) Fauna

The park’s representative vertebrate species include the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), north Andean deer (Hippocamelus antisensis), jaguar (Panthera onca), Andean cat (Felis jacobita), oilbird (Steatornis caripensis), tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and the South American coati (Nasua nasua). Other relevant species inhabiting the park include threatened or endemic species, such as: Asthenes heterura, Terenura sharpei, Morphus guianensis, Tangara ruficervix, Simoxenops striatus, Grallaria erythrotis, Myrrmotherula grises, and Oreotrochilus adela (SERNAP, 2001).

An astonishing 448 bird species have been reported for the park, which represents approximately 30% of all birds recorded in Bolivia. Carrasco National Park contains portions of three important endemic bird areas, as defined by Bibby (1992), including the lower Yungas, upper Yungas, and Bolivian Andes. It seems that Carrasco NP’s location besides Amboró NP-IMNA is ideal for providing protection to these three endemic bird hotspots (Wege and Long, 1995). The importance of Carrasco NP for bird conservation is further underlined by the known existence of threatened species, especially in the lower montane and piedmont areas, such as Simoxenops striatus, Myrmotherula grisea, Pauxi unicornis and Terenura sharpie (Bibby, 1992).

Table of threatened vertebrate species in CNP

Sources: SERNAP, 2002. Base Nacional de Datos (BANDA) and Ergueta P. y H. Gomez C. 1997. Directorio de áreas protegidas de Bolivia. Centro de Datos para la Conservación. La Paz, Bolivia. 186 pp.