Wildlife-Flora

Manu National Park

Manu contains 10% of the world’s vascular plant species, including several species of figs and palms, as well as countless species of medicinal plants that scientists are currently cataloging. A single hectare of forest in Manu can have up to 220 species of trees, while a hectare of temperate forest in Europe or North America may only have 20 tree species. The Manu National Park may be the most biological diverse and protected park on the planet.

More information:

Manu National Park- Encyclopedia of Earth»
Manu National Park-Cosha Cashu Station Report»

Tambopata National Reserve

The Tambopata River watershed is one of the world’s richest ecosystems in terms of biodiversity. The area features a major diversity of plant life, including forest species of economic importance such as cedar (Cedrela odorata) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), and palm trees such as the pona (Iriartea ventricosa) and aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa) among others.

The Tambopata River in Madre de Dios near the Puno foothills is riddled with clumps of bamboo, the exclusive habitat of a variety of species of birds and mammals. The area features mature flooded forest and jungle typical of lower cloud forest. Flora in the national reserve is fairly typical of the southwest Amazon Basin. The Heath River and surrounding plains are a unique ecosystem in Peru. The pampas are pastures that are periodically flooded, and small groves of trees with varied plant life grow in isolated clumps on the plain.

The protected area is home to a wide diversity of plant life, including exploited forest species such as cedar (Cedrela odorata), mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), tornillo (Cedrelinga sp.), Brazil nut (Bertholetia excelsa), palm trees such as the pona (Iriartea ventricosa), aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa), huasaí (Euterpe sp.) and ungurahui (Jessenia bataua).