Noel Kempff Mercado National Park Bolivia

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park - Bolivia 

Short Report

The National Park is one of the largest (1,523,000 ha) and most intact parks in the Amazon basin. With the altitudinal range of 200 m to almost 1000 m, this is the site of a rich mosaic of habitat types from Cerrado region savannah and forest to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park has an evolutionary history dating back more than a billion years in the Precambrian period. An estimated 4,000 species of flora and more than 600 bird species and viable populations of many globally endangered vertebrate animals live in the park.

Wide Report

The National Park is one of the largest (1,523,000 ha) and most intact parks in the Amazon basin. With an altitudinal range from 200 m to 1000 m, it contains a rich mosaic of habitat types from cerrado region savannah and forest to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park has an evolutionary history dating back more than a billion years in the Precambrian. Situated on the border of Brazil, the site contains a large part of the Huanchaca Plateau and surrounding lowlands. There are rugged cliffs in the north, west and south side of the plateau with several valleys and steep slopes in the eastern side. Several rivers have their sources on the plateau and spectacular waterfalls. The largest river in the area is the Iténez, marks the border with Brazil, to the north of the park and the river Paraguá dominates the lowlands in the west.

The north-eastern part of the Santa Cruz Department is part of a transition zone where Amazon intergrades with the dry forest and savannah habitats of the Cerrado region also appeared further realm. Habitat types of the region can be divided into five basic units that different ecosystems: upland evergreen forest; deciduous forests; upland Cerrado region savannah, savannah wetlands, forests and wetlands. The moist forests of the park are floristically distinct from the moist forests of western Amazon and the Andes region of piemonte. These forests are classified in different habitat types hardly studied. 

An evergreen forest with tall trees can be found on deep and well-drained soil, while a dwarf forest establishment located in a transition zone with the Cerrado region. A specific feature of the forest is the lianas, a low and very thick canopy. Although trees are also part of the canopy, the lianas teeming with so that they dominate. The Huanchaca Plateau has a rich Cerrado region flora and contains many species that have a distribution limited to central Brazil. The excellent habitat diversity of the park is favorable for the existence of a very diverse flora and the location is a major repository for many rare mammals of Bolivia. More than 80% of the mammals are found in moist forests. Good populations of tapir view wit hits, brocket deer and jaguar inhabit the upland moist forests. Long haired spider monkey has large population groups in the high evergreen forests, and black-tailed catfish silvery marmoset and monk are also present. The open grassland habitats in the southern part of the plateau are perhaps one of the largest populations of pampas deer. Two other large mammals, maned wolf and marsh deer are to be found in the seasonally flooded savannas live below the plateau.

Source:whc/unesco