Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve

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Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
Arequipa Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve.jpg
Rock formations at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve
Location of the national reserve Salinas and Aguada Blanca in Peru.svg
Location of Salinas y Aguada Blanca in Peru
LocationFlag of Peru.svg  Peru
Arequipa and Moquegua
Nearest city Arequipa
Area3,669.36 km2 (1,416.75 sq mi)
Established09 August 1979
Governing body SERNANP
Website Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca

Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve is a protected area located in the regions of Arequipa and Moquegua; Peru. The main purpose of this area is to protect the local flora, fauna and landscape formations. [1]

Contents

History

The area was declared a national reserve on 9 August 1979 by decree N° 070-79-AA. [1] Lake Salinas and Lake Del Indio, both located inside the reserve, were designated as Ramsar sites in 2003. [2] [3]

Guanacos with Misti volcano in the background at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve. Salinas and Aguada Blanca Misti guanacos.jpg
Guanacos with Misti volcano in the background at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

Geography

Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve is located in the provinces of Caylloma and Arequipa in the region of Arequipa; and a small part in the province of Sanchez Cerro in the region of Moquegua. [1] It spans an area of 366,936 hectares (3,669.36 km2) [1] which covers the headwaters of important local rivers like Yura and Chili. [4]

The landscape features high Andean plateaus dotted by lakes and meadows; and surrounded by volcanoes like Ubinas, Misti, Pichu Pichu and Chachani in the southwest and by mounts Chuccura and Huarancante in the north. [1] Although initially declared an area with the aim to protect local camelids, flamingoes and Andean forests, it has since become a protected water source for the city of Arequipa. [1] Precipitation carried by the eastern winds is captured by the local vegetation and stored in the lakes, meadows and soil; thus giving a valuable environmental service to the region. [1]

The reserve is populated to some extent; most of its territory belongs to thirteen peasant communities and more than 100 private smallholders recognized by law. [1]

Ecology

The area is representative of the puna ecosystem. [4]

Flora

A total of 358 plant species in 155 genera and 47 families have been found in the area, mostly shrubs and herbs; only one species is a tree ( Polylepis sp.) which forms pure stands. [1] [4] Some plants found in the reserve are: Jarava ichu, Nassella depauperata, Lepidophyllum quadrangulare, Parastrephia lepidophylla, Festuca ortophylla, Nassella mexicana, Azorella compacta, Pycnophyllum molle, Werneria paposa, Calamagrostis curvula, Baccharis buxifolia, Alchemilla pinnata, Distichia muscoides, Ranunculus flagelliformis, Myrosmodes sp., among others. [4]

Fauna

Flamingoes at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve. Vuelo de Parihuanas.jpg
Flamingoes at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

Some mammals native to the reserve are: the llama, the alpaca, the vicuña, the guanaco, the taruca, the vizcacha, the puma, the Andean mountain cat, the colocolo and the Andean fox. [1]

Among the birds native to the reserve are: the Andean goose, the crested duck, the Andean flamingo, James's flamingo, the Tamarugo conebill, the silvery grebe and the giant coot. [4]

Two threatened species of amphibians, Telmatobius arequipensis and Rhinella spinulosa , inhabit the reserve. [4]

Activities

Biking and trekking can be done in the numerous paths inside the reserve, [1] while enjoying the landscape emmarked by the volcanoes of the area where mountaineering can be practiced. [1] [5] It is possible to visit volcanic and geothermal land features like the Chucura volcanic crater and the Umalaso hot springs. [1]

Related Research Articles

Andean flamingo Species of bird

The Andean flamingo is a species of flamingo native to the Andes mountains of South America. Until 2014, it was classified in genus Phoenicopterus. It is closely related to James's flamingo, and the two make up the genus Phoenicoparrus. The Chilean flamingo, Andean flamingo, and James' flamingo are all sympatric, and all live in colonies.

Misti

Misti, also known as Putina or Guagua Putina, is a stratovolcano of andesite, dacite, and rhyolite located in southern Peru near the city of Arequipa. With its seasonally snow-capped, symmetrical cone, Misti stands at 5,822 metres (19,101 ft) above sea level and lies between mount Chachani and Pichu Pichu volcano. Its last eruption was in 1985, 198 years after its previous documented eruption.

Salinas may refer to:

Junín National Reserve

Junín National Reserve is a protected area located in the region of Junín, Peru. One of its main purposes is to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity of Lake Junín and the surrounding Central Andean wet puna.

Lagunas de Mejía National Sanctuary

Lagunas de Mejía National Sanctuary is a protected area on the coastal plain of Peru, in Islay Province, Arequipa, in the mouth of the Tambo River. It is a sanctuary for migratory and resident birds, and was designated a Ramsar site in 1992.

Nevado Tres Cruces National Park

Nevado Tres Cruces National Park is a national park located in the Atacama Region of Chile, east of Copiapó. It includes Laguna Santa Rosa, Laguna del Negro Francisco, and a part of the Salar de Maricunga. The park is divided into two zones, the northern zone encompassing the southern portion of Salar de Maricunga and Laguna Santa Rosa, and the southern area the Laguna del Negro Francisco. The park is named after Nevado Tres Cruces, which dominates the landscape of the area. The park is managed by the Corporación Nacional Forestal, which offers two refuges in the area: one at the south of Negro Francisco Lagoon and other at the west of Santa Rosa Lagoon. The park is open from October to April.

Salar de Atacama

Salar de Atacama is the largest salt flat in Chile. It is located 55 km (34 mi) south of San Pedro de Atacama, is surrounded by mountains, and has no drainage outlets. In the east it is enclosed by the main chain of the Andes, while to the west lies a secondary mountain range of the Andes called Cordillera de Domeyko. Large volcanoes dominate the landscape, including the Licancabur, Acamarachi, Aguas Calientes and the Láscar. The last is one of the most active volcanoes in Chile. All of them are located along the eastern side of the Salar de Atacama, forming a generally north-south trending line of volcanoes that separate it from smaller endorheic basins.

Zapaleri

Zapaleri is a volcano whose summit is the tripoint of the borders of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. A number of railways are in the area. It is part of Potosí Department (Bolivia), Jujuy Province (Argentina), and Antofagasta Region (Chile). The volcano formed on top of the 2.89 mya Tara Ignimbrite from the Guacha caldera and the basement beneath the volcano is formed from Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks affected by tectonic deformation. Volcanic rocks are andesite, basalt, dacite and rhyolite. Late Cretaceous rocks are also found in the area, as are Pleistocene shoshonite volcanic rocks.

San Juan de Tarucani District District in Arequipa, Peru

San Juan de Tarucani District is one of 29 districts of the province Arequipa in Peru.

Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve Reserve in Potosí, Bolivia

The Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve is located in Sur Lípez Province. Situated in the far southwestern region of Bolivia, it is the country's most visited protected area. It is considered the most important protected area in terms of tourist influx in the Potosí Department.

Laguna Hedionda (Nor Lípez)

Laguna Hedionda is a saline lake in the Nor Lípez Province, Potosí Department in Bolivia. It is notable for various migratory species of pink and white flamingos.

Lake Salinas

Lake Salinas is a salt lake in the Arequipa Region in Peru. It is situated in the Arequipa Province, Tarucani District.

Pichu Pichu

Pichu Pichu or Picchu Picchu is an inactive eroded volcano in the Andes of Peru. It is located in the Arequipa Region, Arequipa Province, on the border of Pocsi and Tarucani districts. Pichu Pichu reaches a height of 5,664 metres (18,583 ft) and is part of Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

Central Andean puna

The Central Andean puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina.

Tacune

Tacune is a mountain in the Andes of Peru, about 5,500 metres (18,045 ft) high. It is situated south of Lake Salinas and east of the mountain Pichu Pichu. Tacune is located in the Arequipa Region, Arequipa Province, Tarucani District, and in the Moquegua Region, General Sánchez Cerro Province, Puquina District.

Pirhuane (mountain)

Pirhuane is a 4,994-metre-high (16,385 ft) mountain in the Moquegua Region in the Andes of Peru. It is situated in the General Sánchez Cerro Province, Ubinas District. Pirwani is situated northeast of the active volcano Ubinas. Like the mountains south of Pirhuane, Pacoorcco and Huitoni, Pirhuane lies on the eastern border of the buffer zone of the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reservation.

Pucasaya (Moquegua)

Pucasaya is a 5,320-metre-high (17,454 ft) mountain in the Andes of Peru. It is situated southeast of the salt lake named Salinas. The mountain is located in the Moquegua Region, General Sánchez Cerro Province, Matalaque District, southwest of the active Ubinas volcano. Pucasaya lies on the southern border of the buffer zone of the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reservation.

Huitoni (mountain)

Huitoni or Wit'uni is a mountain in the Moquegua Region in the Andes of Peru, about 4,800 metres (15,748 ft) high. It is situated in the General Sánchez Cerro Province, Ubinas District. Huitoni lies northeast of the active volcano Ubinas and southwest of Pirhuane and Pacoorcco.

Pukara (Moquegua)

Pukara is a mountain in the Moquegua Region in the Andes of Peru, about 4,400 metres (14,436 ft) high. It is located in the General Sánchez Cerro Province, Ubinas District. Pukara is situated northeast of the active volcano Ubinas and southwest of Wit'uni. The Para River flows along its western slopes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "De Salinas y Aguada Blanca - Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado". www.sernanp.gob.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  2. "Bofedales y Laguna de Salinas | Ramsar Sites Information Service". rsis.ramsar.org. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  3. "Laguna del Indio - Dique de los Españoles | Ramsar Sites Information Service". rsis.ramsar.org. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Plan Maestro de la Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca 2006-2011 (PDF) (in Spanish). SERNANP. 2006.
  5. Biggar, John (2005). The Andes: A Guide for Climbers. Andes. pp. 155–157. ISBN   9780953608720.

Further reading

Coordinates: 16°06′08″S71°13′08″W / 16.1021°S 71.219°W / -16.1021; -71.219