Manu National Park

Manu National Park was established by Law (D.S.) N 0644-73-AG. as a national park on May 29, 1973 across a surface of 1,716,295.22 hectares and declared a Mankind Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.

The reserve covers the entire watershed of the Manu River, running across an extraordinary range of altitudes, running from 4,300 m.a.s.l. in the high Andean plain down to 200 meters in the Amazon Basin.

The area is home to dozens of tribes -Amahuaca, Huachipaire, Piro, Machiguenga, Yora and Yaminahua- as well as others that have yet to make contact with the outside world.

The Manu National Park is also a haven for more than 20,000 plant varieties such as Cetico (Cecropia sp.), Topa (Ochroma sp.), Cedar (Cedrela sp.), the screwdriver (Cedrelinga catanaformis), the chesnut tice (Bertholletia excelsa), Lupuna (Chorisio sp.) and the rubber plant (Heves brasiliensis). Also 1,200 butterfly species, 1,000 bird species, 200 species of mammals and an unknown quantity of reptiles, amphibians and insects.

There are trees as: Cetico (Cecropia sp.), Topa (Ochroma sp.), Cedar (Cedrela sp.), the screwdriver (Cedrelinga catanaformis), the chesnut tice (Bertholletia excelsa), Lupuna (Chorisio sp.) and the rubber plant (Heves brasiliensis).

Lots of species are protected in this park for example 800 species of birds 200 species of mammals (there are more than 100 species of bats), 120 species of fishes and reptiles the some as insects and other ones. In this region we can observe different birds as for example: The aguila harpia - - eagle - (harpia harpyja), the jabirú (Jabiru mycteria) and the pink espatula (Ajaja ajaja).

In the banks of the river in the branches of the tree we can find the sachapato (Cairina moschata), wild goose (Neochen jubata), the Gallito de las Rocas (Rupicola peruviana), the mono choro comun - monkey - (Lagothrix Lagotricha), the maquisapa negro (Ateles paniscus), the river wolf (Pteronura brasiliensis), the jaguar (Panthera onca), the wild cat (Leopoardus pardalis) , the spectaded bear (Tremarctos ornatus) and the Taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis).

This are is populated by more than 30 peasant communities which first language is Quechua as: Matsiquenka, Amahuaca, Yiñe, Amarakaeri, Huachipaire, Mashco-Piros and Nahua.

The main goal of this park is the conservation of the representative samples of the biological diversity. Likewise, we want de study anthropological programs related to the population settled in the park.