Information Peru

Manu National Park

Location: Departments of Cusco and Madre de Dios.
Area: 1532,806 hectares.
Creations: May 1973.

Considered as one of the biggest and richest natural reserves in the world, the one that allows having intimate contact with nature in its most primitive and wildest state.

Manu National Park is a biosphere reserve located in Madre de Dios and Paucartambo, Cusco. Before becoming an area protected by the Peruvian government, the Manu National Park was conserved thanks to its inaccessibility. The park remains fairly inaccessible by road to this day. In 1977, UNESCO recognized 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 150meters above sea level, 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 Manu, 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.

Flora
More than 20,000 species. 40% of the park is Amazonian lowland tropical, including, oxbow lakes, palm swamps, and upland forest types.

Fauna
The Manu Biosphere Reserve has a very rich wildlife. Larger species of the lowland forests include jaguar, puma, ocelot, giant otter, giant anteater, southern tamandua, giant armadillo, nine-banded armadillo, brown-throated sloth, Brazilian tapir, capybara, pacarana, lowland paca, collared peccary, white-lipped peccary and several deer species, like South American red brocket. There are 14 species of monkeys. These are Goeldis marmoset, pygmy marmoset, emperor tamarin, squirrel monkey, black-headed night monkey, red howler monkey and woolly monkey. The puma also reaches very high elevations of up to 3450 m.

Mammals : 222 species
Reptiles : 99 species
Amphibians : 140 species
Birds : 1000 species
Fish : 210 species
Insects (numerous undescribed species)
Butterflies : 1307 species
Ants : 300 species
Dragonflies : 136 species
Beetles : 650 species.