Tambopata Reserve
The Tambopata National Reserve is located south of the Madre de Dios River in the Tambopata and Inambari districts of the Tambopata province in the department of Madre de Dios and covers 274,690 hectares. The presence of this important natural protected area seeks to conserve the flora, fauna, and ecological processes of a sample of the tropical rainforest. The Tambopata National Reserve also generates conservation processes that ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and the landscape.
The Tambopata River Basin has one of the highest rates of biological diversity in the world. The Tambopata National Reserve is located in the middle and lower part of the watershed, near the city of Puerto Maldonado. Among its most common ecosystems are aguajales, swamps, pine forests and riparian forests, whose physical characteristics allow local inhabitants to take advantage of the natural resources.
It is also adjacent to Bahuaja Sonene National Park, which surrounds the entire area to the south, forming a very important protection unit for the country. The existing connectivity with the department’s natural protected areas (the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve and the Alto Purús and Manu national parks) and those of neighboring Bolivia, supports the existence of the proposed Vilcabamba – Amboró biological corridor.
Tambopata National Reserve harbors primarily aquatic habitats that are used as stopovers for more than 40 species of transcontinental migratory birds. The national reserve protects important endangered species and offers tourism a privileged destination to observe the diversity of flora and fauna.
The buffer zone is home to the native communities of Palma Real, Sonene and Infierno belonging to the Ese’ Eja ethnolinguistic group; and the Kotsimba native community of the Puquirieri ethnolinguistic group.
Flora and fauna
In Tambopata National Reserve, there are approximately 648 bird species of 388 genera and 60 families, including the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), the crested eagle (Morphus guianensis), the common curassow (Mitu tuberosa), red and green macaw (Ara chlotopterus), scarlet macaw (Ara Macao), blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), among others.
It also records 108 species of mammals of 85 genera and 28 families, among which the following stand out: the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), the otter (Lontra longicaudis) and felines such as the yaguarundi (Leopardus yagouaroundi), the puma (Puma concolor), the jaguar (Panthera onca), the ocelot or ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), the margay (Leopardus wiedii), the maquisapa (Ateles chamek), the coto monkey (Alouatta seniculus), the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), white (Cebus albifrons), black (Macrocephalus apella), sachavaca (Tapirus terrestris), huangana (Tayassu pecari), sajino (Tayassu tajacu), red deer (Mazama americana), gray deer (Mazama gouazoubira), two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni) and three-toed sloths (Bradypus variegatus), among others.
In the area 103 species of reptiles were reported, represented mainly by the emerald boa (Corallus caninus), the machaco parrot (Bothrops bilineatus), the boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) and the shushupe (Lachesis muta), the black caiman (Melanosuchus niger), the white caiman (Caiman crocodylus), the taricaya (Podocnemis unifilis), among others.
Also reported were 323 species of fish from 205 genera and 39 families, including the boquichico (Boquichico), among them the boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans), the jumping zungaro (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum), the yahuarachi (Potamorrhyna latior), the dorado (Brachyplatystoma flavicans), the paco (Piaractus brachipomun), the shad (Brycon spp.), the mullet (Schizodon fasciatus), the catfish (Pimelodus sp.), among others. Approximately 1,200 butterflies and 93 species of amphibians from 31 genera and 9 families have also been reported.
The flora species reported in the reserve belong to 17 plant associations per forest type and approximately 1,713 species, belonging to 645 genera of 145 families. The Angiosperms (flowering plants) register 1637 species grouped in 127 families and 622 genera, with the most diverse families being: Fabaceae 158 species, Rubiaceae 104 species and Moraceae 66 species and the Pteridophytes (ferns) register 76 species of 32 genera and 18 families, with the most diverse families being: Polypodiaceae 16 species, Pteridaceae 11 species and Thelypteridaceae 9 species.
The most important plant species in the reserve are: Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa), lupuna (Ceiba pentandra), ishpingo (Amburana cearensis), tornillo (Cedrelinga catenaeformis), shihuahuaco (Dipteryx micrantha), cedar (Cedrela odorata), aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa), ungurahui (Oenocarpus batuaua), palmiche (Geonoma deversa), huasaí (Euterpe precatoria), huayruro (Ormosia sp), pona (Iriartea deltoidea), tamishe (Heteropsis sp), among others.
Climate
The average annual temperature is 26 °C, fluctuating between 10 and 38 °C. Annual precipitation fluctuates between 2,500 and 3,000 mm; relative humidity is between 80 and 100%.
Tourist Routes
Tambopata National Reserve has three sectors for nature tourism: the Sandoval, Middle Tambopata, and Upper Tambopata sectors.
In the Sandoval Sector, the most visited tourist destination is the Sandoval Lake, impressive for its scenic beauty with a water mirror of 127 hectares, surrounded by palm trees full of macaws, here inhabits a large family of giant otters, which can be seen fishing and preening on the trunks, on the shore there is an observatory tower for a panoramic view. It is only half an hour by river from Puerto Maldonado.
In the Middle Tambopata sector, there are important lakes such as: Cocococha, Sachavacayoc, and Condenado I and II, where there are also families of giant otters, caymans, birds, among others. This sector is 1 to 2 hours by boat from the native community of Infierno.
Crossing the Tambopata River, you arrive to the Alto Tambopata sector, where the Chuncho and Colorado clay lick is located; the latter is considered the largest clay lick in the Peruvian Amazon, where you can see hundreds of macaws and parrots taking turns to obtain clay for their food. This sector is located 2 hours away by boat from the community of Filadelfia.
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