Pacaya–Samiria National Reserve, is a protected area located in the region of Loreto,

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and spans an area of . It protects an area of low hills and seasonally flooded forest in the

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...

. Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve and the near Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve both forms a biodiversity hotspot in the Amazon jungle.

Biodiversity

Flora

Some of the native plant species present in the reserve are: ''

Spondias mombin ''Spondias mombin'', also known as yellow mombin, hog plum, amra or cajazeira, is a species of tree and flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas, including the West Indies. The tree was introduced by the ...

Quararibea cordata ''Quararibea cordata'', known as the South American sapote or chupa-chupa, is a large, semi-deciduous fruit tree reaching heights of up to 45 meters. It is native to the Amazon rainforest vegetation in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Descript ...

Mauritia flexuosa ''Mauritia flexuosa'', known as the moriche palm, ''ité'' palm, ''ita'', ''buriti'', ''muriti'', ''miriti'' (Brazil), ''canangucho'' (Colombia), ''morete or acho'' (Ecuador), ''palma real'' (Bolivia), or ''aguaje'' (Peru), is a Arecaceae, palm t ...

, Parinari excelsa,

Cedrela odorata ''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina ...

Ocotea ''Ocotea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. Many are evergreen trees with lauroid leaves. There are over 520 species currently accepted within the genus, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical areas of ...

'' spp., '' Myrciaria dubia, Socratea exorrhiza, Calathea allouia, Solanum sessiliflorum, Hevea guianensis,

Pouteria caimito ''Pouteria caimito'', the abiu (), is a tropical fruit tree in the family ''Sapotaceae''. It grows in the Amazon Basin, Amazonian region of South America, and this type of fruit can also be found in the Philippines and other countries in Southea ...

Clidemia hirta ''Miconia crenata'' (syn. ''Clidemia hirta''), commonly called soapbush, clidemia or Koster's curse, is a perennial shrub. It is an invasive plant species in many tropical regions of the world, causing serious damage. Description ''Miconia cren ...

Ficus maxima ''Ficus maxima'' is a fig tree which is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America south to Paraguay. Figs belong to the family Moraceae. The specific epithet ''maxima'' was coined by Scottish botanist Philip Miller in 176 ...

, Heliconia psittacorum,

Inga ''Inga'' is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing treesElkan, Daniel. "Slash-and-burn farming has become a major threat to the world's rainforest" ''The Guardian'' 21 April 2004 and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. ''Inga''s l ...

'' spp., '' Psychotria poeppigiana, Alibertia edulis,

Victoria amazonica ''Victoria amazonica'' is a species of flowering plant, the second largest in the water lily family Nymphaeaceae. It is called Vitória-Régia or Iaupê-Jaçanã ("the Jacanidae, jacana's waterlily") in Brazil and Atun Sisac ("great flower") in ...

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order (biology), order Malvales and the family (biology), family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, ...

Phytelephas macrocarpa ''Phytelephas macrocarpa'' is a single-stemmed, unarmed, reclining or erect palm from the extreme northern coastal regions of South America, growing to some 12 m tall. It has been introduced and cultivated in tropical regions all over the world. ...

, Clusia'' spp., ''

Swietenia macrophylla ''Swietenia macrophylla'', commonly known as mahogany, Honduran mahogany, Honduras mahogany, or big-leaf mahogany is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is one of three species that yields genuine mahogany timber (Swietenia), the ot ...

Asclepias curassavica ''Asclepias curassavica'', commonly known as tropical milkweed, is a flowering plant species of the milkweed genus, ''Asclepias''. It is native to the Neotropical realm, American tropics and has a pantropical distribution as an introduced species ...

Pachira aquatica ''Pachira aquatica'' is a species of tropical wetland tree in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to Central and South America where it grows in swamps. It is known by its common names Malabar chestnut, French peanut, Guiana chestnut, provisio ...

, Cragious Psychotria,'' etc.

Fauna

Mammal species found in the reserve include: the

Amazonian manatee The Amazonian manatee (''Trichechus inunguis'') is a species of manatee that lives in the Amazon Basin in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. It has thin, wrinkled brownish or gray colored skin, with fine hairs scattered over its body and a white ...

, the

red-faced spider monkey The red-faced spider monkey (''Ateles paniscus''), also known as the Guiana spider monkey or red-faced black spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey found in the rain forests in northern South America. The species faces issues with hunting ...

, the

South American tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, (Brazilian Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushcow", in mixed ...

, the Bolivian squirrel, the

Amazon river dolphin The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale Endemism, endemic to South America and is classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recogni ...

, the puma, the

giant otter The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of mustel ...

, the

white-lipped peccary The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar in appearance ...

, the

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

, the

red brocket The red brocket (''Mazama americana'') is a species of brocket deer from forests in South America, ranging from northern Argentina to Colombia and the Guianas. It also occurs on the Caribbean island of Trinidad (it also occurred on the island of ...

, the

tucuxi The tucuxi (''Sotalia fluviatilis''), alternatively known in Peru ''bufeo gris'' or ''bufeo negro'', is a species of freshwater dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon basin. The word ''tucuxi'' is derived from the Tupi language word ''tuchuc ...

, the

South American coati The South American coati (''Nasua nasua''), also known as the ring-tailed coati or brown-nosed coati, is a coati species and a member of the raccoon family ( Procyonidae), found in the tropical and subtropical parts of South America. An adult g ...

, the

capybara The capybara or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris'') is the largest living rodent, native to South America. It is a member of the genus '' Hydrochoerus''. The only other extant member is the lesser capybara (''Hydrochoerus isthmi ...

, etc. Some species of fish found in the reserve are: ''

Arapaima gigas ''Arapaima gigas'', also known simply as Arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche,Miranda-Chumacero, G., Wallace, R., Calderón, H., Calderón, G., Willink, P., Guerrero, M., ... & Chuqui, D. (2012). Distribution of arapaima (Arapaima gigas)(Pisces: Arapaim ...

, Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, Phractocephalus hemiliopterus,

Colossoma macropomum The tambaqui (''Colossoma macropomum'') is a large species of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae. It is native to tropical South America, but kept in aquaculture and introduced elsewhere. It is also known by the names black pacu, black- ...

Osteoglossum bicirrhosum The silver arowana (''Osteoglossum bicirrhosum'') is a South American freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae. Silver arowanas are sometimes kept in aquariums, but they are predatory and require a very large tank. The generic name ''Os ...

Potamotrygon motoro The ocellate river stingray (''Potamotrygon motoro''), also known as the peacock-eye stingray or black river stingray, is a species of freshwater stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae. It was the first species to be described in the family and ...

, Brycon melanopterus, Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma, Plagioscion squamosissimus,

Prochilodus nigricans ''Prochilodus nigricans'', or black prochilodus, is a species of prochilodontid fish from the Amazon Basin in South America. It supports major fisheries; according to IBAMA, it is the third most caught taxon in the Brazilian Amazon by weight, a ...

,'' etc. Birds found in the reserve include: the

Spix's guan Spix's guan (''Penelope jacquacu'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is "the prototypical cracid of the Amazonian lowlands."del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Spix's Guan (''Penelope jacquacu''), version 1.0. In Birds of the Wo ...

, the

black-bellied whistling duck The black-bellied whistling duck (''Dendrocygna autumnalis''), formerly called the black-bellied tree duck, is a whistling duck that before 2000 bred mainly in the southernmost United States, Mexico, and tropical Central America, Central to sout ...

, the

king vulture The king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa'') is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mex ...

, the crimson-crested woodpecker, the

harpy eagle The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a large Neotropical realm, neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea Harpy Eagle, New Guin ...

, the

blue-and-yellow macaw The blue-and-yellow macaw (''Ara ararauna''), also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, is a large Neotropical parrot with a mostly blue dorsum, light yellow/orange venter, and gradient hues of green on top of its head. It is a member of the large g ...

, the

scarlet macaw The scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from south ...

, the black-throated mango, the

horned screamer The horned screamer (''Anhima cornuta'') is a species of bird that belongs to a relatively small family, the Anhimidae, which occurs in wetlands of tropical South America. There are three screamer species, the other two being the southern scream ...

, the

cobalt-winged parakeet The cobalt-winged parakeet (''Brotogeris cyanoptera'') is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.Remse ...

, the swallow-tailed hummingbird, etc.

Climate

The annual mean temperature ranges between 20 and 33 °C, while the annual mean precipitation ranges between 2000 and 3000 mm. It is advisable to visit the reserve between May and January. The climograph shown here corresponds to the nearby town of Nauta (93 m of elevation).

Anthropology

Native peoples still inhabit the reserve, as well as more recent settlers.

Recreation

The reserve has 15 authorized campsites distributed in 8 areas open for tourism; as well as 5 wilderness huts. Moreover, there are 19 park ranger stations (4 of them with information stands) and 21 neighborhood watch stations.

References

{{Coord, 5, 15, S, 74, 40, W, source:eswiki_region:PE, display=title Ramsar sites in Peru Geography of the Department of Loreto Tourist attractions in the Department of Loreto

Biodiversity

Flora

Fauna

Climate

Anthropology

Recreation

See also

References