Peru :   Park Guides : Rio Abiseo

The Río Abiseo was established August 11, 1983 by means of Supreme Law # 064-83-AG. In 1990 it was declared a Cultural and Natural Heritage of Humanity by the NUES-CO.

It is found located in the San Martín region, the Mariscal Cáceras province, and the Huicungo district. It occupies a surface area of 274,520 hectares.

Within the park exists 7 zones of life with a variety of flora and fauna, between the altitude of 350 and 4,200 meters above sea level. The fog covered forest form the majority of the park containing the largest diversity of plants second to the tropical humid forests. It's flora includes ferns, orchids, bromeliaceae, sugar cane, moss, and distinct plants to the high land jungles. Of 261 genus,105 families, and 1,000 species of flora, 13 have been identified as new to science and 50 which have not yet been determined. 

Among the 11 genus and 13 species of mammals registered, you find the yellow tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda), an endemic specie and in danger of extinction in Perú, the Perú mountain paca (Agouti taczanowskii) and threatened species like the north Andean huemul (Hippocamelus antisensis), the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the jaguar (Panthera onça) and the long haired spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth).

Of the 132 bird species found, we can mention Salvin's Currasow (Crax salvini), King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa), Yellow Crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala) and the Southern Pochard (Netta erythrophthalma).

This National Park is biologically rich and contains remains of incalculable cultural and scientific value from the precolombina occupation. Among the36 different archeological locations which have been registered, the Gran Pajatén is highlighted as the most impressionable monument because of it's special architectural design; it is comparable to the National Park of Tikal in Guatemala.

The principle objective of the National Park of the Río Abiseo is to protect the Neblina de la Ceja de Selva and Selva Alta forests, while conserving wild species like the yellow tailed woolly monkey which is on it's way to extinction.