Sierra de Perijá National Park Perijá National Park | |
---|---|
IUCN category II (
national park) | |
Location | Venezuela |
Nearest city | Maracaibo |
Coordinates | 9°32′0″N 73°0′0″W / 9.53333°N 73.00000°W |
Area | 295,288 hectares (729,670 acres) |
Established | 1978 |
Governing body | Instituto Nacional de Parques(INPARQUES) ’’National Park Institute’’ |
Sierra de Perijá National Park, also known as Perijá National Park, is a protected area in Venezuela. It is located in the Serranía de Perijá mountains on the border with Colombia, [1] to the southwest of Zulia state and Lake Maracaibo. The park was established in 1978 with the objective of protecting the hilly regions. [2]
Sierra de Perijá National Park is situated in the Perija and Colon municipalities of Zulia State. The park is accessible by road from Maracaibo. [1]
The park includes a portion of the Serranía de Perijá mountains, [3] which rises above the southwestern area of Lake Maracaibo, a large brackish bay connected to the Gulf of Venezuela. The highest elevation is Pico Tétar at 3,500 metres (11,500 ft). [1] It covers an area of 295,288 hectares (729,670 acres). [4]
The vegetation in the park consists mainly of rainforest, cloud forests, highland moors and sub-alpine and alpine tundra. [1] Some typical trees include Anacardium excelsum, wax palms Ceroxylon, Cecropia, Gyranthera caribensis, Tabebuia chrysantha, T. billbergii, T. chrysea and Podocarpus oleifolius and there are many herbs, flowering plants and bromeliads. [5] [6]
The wildlife in the park includes spectacled bear, as well as capuchin and howler monkeys. [1] Dolphins in Lake Maracaibo are proposed to be brought under a protection programme through the South American River Dolphin Protected Area Network. [2]
Birds may include parrot species such as the endangered military macaw ( Ara militaris). [7] An endangered bird species found in the park is the Perija metaltail hummingbird ( Metallura iracunda). [8] It is also the habitat for another hummingbird, Coeligena consita, an endemic species of the Sierra de Perijá found on its southern slopes. [9] A newly discovered species of tapaculo found in the park is the Perijá tapaculo (Scytalopus perijanus) which was first described in 2015. [10]
Uncontrolled fires and deforestation are major threats to the natural ecosystems in the park. [11]