With support from CIMA (Center for Conservation, Investigation, and Management of Natural Areas), ParksWatch-Perú performed an overflight of the Cordillera Azul National Park to check the status of control and protection and to do a general inspection of the park\’s habitats and ecosystems.
Aerial view of Cordillera Azul National Park, easter part of the protected area.
CORDILLERA AZUL NATIONAL PARK – DS No. 031-2001-AG – 1 353 190,85 ha
The National Park is located in the Bellavista, Picota, and San Martin provinces of the San Martin department, Ucayali province in the Loreto department, Padre Abad province in Ucayali dapartment, and Leoncio Prado province of the Huanuco department.
Union of two rivers with distinct water types. Flyover of the protected area by CIMA-PW-INRENA.
The Cordillera Azul National park contains a diversity of habitats, some of them threatened, that among the most notable are: extensive tall marshlands, biological communities of acidic rock, spongy forest and dwarf tree groves, hills of reddish eroded stones, hillsde forests, outlying lakes, streams and high-altitude creeks.
Aerial view of a zone with heavy disturbance and natural erosion processes.
It is important to note the fragility of the interior areas of the National Park. The soil, mountains, and forest are not appropriate for human activity. Due to the sloping terrain, acidic soil, and poor drainage, the headwaters of the numerous rivers that originate in the protected area are mainly designated for strict protection in efforts to maintain their character.
Effects of sedimentation in rivers and streams. Disturbances and erosion in a sector of area that generates sedimentation which is transported by the streams, affecting other distant locations.
It is estimated that the Park protects some 6000 species of plants, 500 species of birds, 110 species of fish, among others. Natural disturbances alter the ecosystems, giving way to natural sucession processes that contribute to the enormous mosaic of habitats and ecosistems found in the park.
ParksWatch-Peru – September 2004