Protected Natural Areas
Approximately
17 % of Ecuador's territory (46,190 Km2 / 17,834
square miles) is considered as National Protected
Area. When you travel to Ecuador,
you can visit the following:
- 9
National Parks: Cajas, Cotopaxi, Galapagos,
Llanganates, Machalilla, Podocarpus, Sangay,
Sumaco-Napo-Galeras, and Yasuni.
- 2
Biological Reserves: Limoncocha and Galapagos
Marine Biological Reserve.
- 8
Ecological Reserves: Antisana, El Angel, Cayambe
Coca, Cayapas Mataje, Cotacachi Cayapas, Los
Ilinizas, Mache Chindul and Manglares Churute.
- 1
Geo botanic Reserve: Pululahua.
- 2
Wildlife Reserves: Cuyabeno and Chimborazo.
- 2
Wildlife Refuges: Pasochoa and Santa Clara Island.
- 1
Recreation Park: El Boliche
- El
Condor Park.
National Parks
Cajas:
(Altitude ranges from 9840 to 11480 feet)
The
National Park Cajas is located 21 miles away from
Cuenca (29 km west from Cuenca). There are 71186
acres in this park, including 232 lagoons of glacier
origin, mountains, etc. Small streams and rivers
are formed by the connection of the Lagoons with
each other. Tomebamba and Yanuncay rivers are
surrounding Cuenca and are born in this area.
The
vegetation is primarily high altitude grassland
(paramo), in this area the ground and the trees
are covered with lichens, mosses and other fungi.
There is a dense cloud forest in the western part
of the Park.
There
is a great variety of mammals in Cajas, such as
the spectacular bear, the white tailed deer, paramo
deer, puma, the Andean Tapir, and the paramo rabbit.
The most important species of birds are The Condor,
the Caracara, spectacled duck, gray breasted toucans,
hummingbirds, giant conebill , etc.
The
flora is important in this area, including Chuquiraguas,
paramo grasses, romerillo, yagual (Polylepis),
chachacoma, genciana, romerillo, etc.
In
the area of Molleturo there are archeological
Inca sites that had been used as resting area
for the Inca couriers from Cusco to Quito.
Cotopaxi:
(Altitude ranges from 11152 ft to 19347 ft)
This
Park is located 60 km South of Quito, in the Napo,
Cotopaxi and Pichincha provinces. It was established
in 1975. Cotopaxi is an active snow capped volcano,
(19347 feet above sea level). The Park has an
area of 83829 acres (33393 hectares). The vegetation
is primarily paramo (high altitude grassland).
The temperature is between 0ºC to 15ºC.
At
the foot of Cotopaxi volcano, we can find an Inca
Palace that was built by Tupac Yupanqui in the
XVth century, also the Pucara Ruins that is a
pre-hispanic fortress of the Incas and the Limpiopungo
lagoon.
There
is a great variety of flora and fauna in this
Park, mainly deer, pumas, wild horses, llamas,
condors, hummingbirds, etc.
Galapagos:
This Park is located 650 miles from the Ecuadorian
Pacific coast. It is the largest national park
formed by volcanic rock and lava formation. There
are 13 large islands, 6 minor ones, and more than
40 islets.
Galapagos
Islands was declared as National Park in 1936
to preserve the flora and fauna of the islands.
This Park is a living museum of evolutionary changes.
Galapagos islands are known for their unique wildlife
(endemic species), and it is also a shelter for
species of flora and fauna, which can not be found
else where in the world.
There are different species of giant Galapagos
tortoises that live in this Park and their name
comes from the similarity of their carapaces to
a British riding saddle called "galapago"
in Spanish.
There
are great varieties of fauna in the islands, including
birds such as blue footed, red footed and masked
boobies, flamingos, frigate birds, albatrosses,
petrels, hawks, osprey falcons, the unique small
penguins and non-flying cormorants (flightless
cormorants) and 14 different species of finches.
Among the marine mammals, we can find sea lions,
dolphins, whales (whale sharks, and sperm whale),
white tipped sharks, hammer head sharks.
There
are white sanded beaches and the most distinctive
plants are the giant mangroves, and endemic cacti.
Charles Darwin in 1835 wrote
the theory of the Origin of the species, inspired
by the living proof that he found in the Galapagos
Islands. He described this park as a
living laboratory of Evolution.
In
1994, Galapagos was declared as Galapagos Marine
Reserve, becoming the only protected coastal marine
area in the Southeast Pacific.
Llanganates:
Llanganates
Park was created in 1991. It is located
in the provinces of Tungurahua, Cotopaxi
and Napo, covered by dense vegetation.
There are lagoons, waterfalls, rivers, deep valleys,
and rough moorlands. The highest mountain in this
park is Cerro Hermoso with 15618 feet. The weather
is rainy and mostly cold.
In
Llanganates, we can find weasels, sacha (jungle)
rabbits, moorland rabbits, spectacled bears, white
tailed deer, moorland fox, moorland deer, deer,
tapirs, monkeys, pumas, cocks of the rock and
condors.
Machalilla :
This
Park was created in 1979 to protect two offshore
islands, the tropical dry forest, the cloud forest,
and the coral formation on the mainland coast.,
becoming the only coastal National Park
in Ecuador. It has 136000 acres, and
it is located in the province of Manabi. The weather
is hot and dry throughout the year, with an average
temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
We
can find tropical humid and tropical dry forests
in the park due to the Humboldt Current. Coral
Reefs are surrounding the Isla De La Plata (Silver
Island). This island is located 40 Km northwest
of Puerto Lopez. In this Island there are colonies
of blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, frigate
birds, pelicans, gulls, and albatrosses.
From
June to September, it is possible to observe whales
and some dolphins that come to mate. There is
a great variety of animals that have been identified
in this park such as coastal parrots, seabirds,
deer, iguanas, snakes and anteaters.
Podocarpus :
Podocarpus
National Park was created in 1982. It is the only
National Park in the southern Andes in
Ecuador. It is located in two provinces
Loja and Zamora Chinchipe. This Park has an extension
of 351436 acres, with jungle and highlands.
The
Podocarpus trees are very common in this Park,
being the only conifer native in Ecuador; the
name of this Park derives from this tree.
The
altitude in this Park goes from 1000 m in the
jungle to over 3600 m in the high altitude grassland
(paramo), due to this range there are six distinct
zones. Also, there is a great diversity of fauna
such as pumas, bears, some reptiles, and bird
species such as toucans, hummingbirds,
woodpeckers, and a great diversity of flora.
Sangay:
Sangay
is located between three provinces Tungurahua,
Chimborazo and Morona Santiago, with
an extension of 671654 acres. It is located in
the most remote areas of Ecuador.
There
are two Native communities living in this park:
Quichua Canelos in the North,
and Shuar in the South. Three
very important mountains are located in this Park:
Sangay volcano (permanent eruption), Altar, and
the Tungurahua volcano.
A
cloud forest by the East of the Park and highland
grasses and shrubs are found here. Also, in Sangay,
we can see Ocelots, pumas, tapirs and porcupines.
Sumaco-Napo-Galeras:
This
Park has an extension of 507181 acres with a great
diversity of ecosystems from high mountains to
cloud and lowland forests. The altitudes range
from 1968 to 12792 feet.
Most of this area has escaped developmental impacts.
There
is a great variety of animal species in the humid
tropical forest and cloud forest, like marsupials,
Spectacle bear, Armadillos, Bats, Eagles, cock
of the rock, amphibians and reptiles. The rubber
tree is the most common specie in this park.
Near
the Park, we can find the archaeological sites
of the Cosanga culture.
Yasuni:
Yasuni
National Park was created in 1979, being
the largest mainland National Park. It is located
in the province of Napo, with an extension of
2426281 acres (982000 hectares).
In
1979 UNESCO declared this Park an International
Biosphere Reserve. Yasuni was created to protect
three types of vegetation in the rainforest, ranging
from woodlands on dry soil to semi-permanently
flooded forest.
The
rivers Yasuni, Tiputini, Cononaco, Nashiño
and the Curaray go through the National Park.
We
can find here endemic species of flora and fauna.
More than 700 species of flora have been identified
(laurel, chonta, sangre de drago, large cedars,
among others) and 500 bird species, including
harpy eagles and 200 different
animals like tapirs, pumas etc.
The Huaorani Indigenous families lived in this
Park for generations.
