Guiana Amazonian Park () is the largest national park of France, aiming at protecting part of the

Amazonian forest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin encompasses , of which are covered by the rainf ...

located in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

which covers 41% of the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. It is the largest park in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

as well as the largest park in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and one of the largest national parks in the world. It cannot be accessed from the seashore or by any means other than airplane or

pirogue A pirogue ( or ), also called a piragua or piraga, is any of various small boats, particularly dugouts and canoes. The word is French and is derived from Spanish ''piragua'' , which comes from the Carib '. Description The term 'pirogue' ...

via the Maroni and

Oyapock The Oyapock or Oiapoque ( ; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá. Course The Oyapock runs through the Guianan moist for ...

rivers. The protected area covers some for the central area (where full protection is enforced) and for the secondary area. Thus, the overall protected area represents some of

rain forest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

. The park has been built on territories belonging to the

communes A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Camopi Camopi (; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Camopi is mainly inhabited by Amerindians of the Wayampi and Teko tribes. History In 1738, a Jesuit mission opened on the ri ...

Maripasoula Maripasoula (), previously named Upper Maroni, is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. With a land area of , Maripasoula is the largest commune of France. The commune is slightly lar ...

Papaïchton Papaichton (; unofficial spelling Papaïchton with a trema; ) is a commune in the overseas region and department of French Guiana. The village lies on the shores of the Lawa River. Papaichton is served by the Maripasoula Airport. The village ...

Saint-Élie Saint-Élie (; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France in South America. In 1930, Saint-Élie became capital of the Inini territory. From 1953 onward, the commune was called Centre. In 1969, it was renamed ...

, and Saül. Like other ''Parcs nationaux de France,'' the park is overseen by the

French Office for Biodiversity The French Office for Biodiversity (OFB; French: ''Office français de la biodiversité'') is an établissement public à caractère administratif within the Government of France. It is under the control of both the Ministry of the Ecological Transi ...

History

In the framework of the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the project of a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

in French Guiana was initiated on June 4, 1992, with the impetus provided by

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

. This was formalised through a draft agreement signed by the presidents of the general council and of the regional council of French Guiana, and also by the French Ministers of the

Environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

, of the Overseas Departments and Territories and of Agriculture and Forestry. Following this, in 1993 the ''Mission for the Creation of the French Guiana National Park'' was created. A first project was proposed in late 1995 but was finally rejected in December 1997. On June 21, 1998, the ''Twenké agreement'' led to the recognition of the rights of the native

Amerindians In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

and of the Businengue (

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...

) living within the future park's boundaries. The final project was presented in early 2006. On March 6, 2006, the decree relating to the project of the national park being taken into account was published in the

Official Journal of the French Republic An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of thei ...

. Within it, the national park's name was switched to ''Guiana Amazonian Park''. The creation of the park was made effective by decree on February 28, 2007, despite the reluctance of several protagonists involved ( general council and regional council of French Guiana). The park's governing body met for the first time on June 7, 2007.

Extent

Within the central area, maximal protection is enforced and

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...

is strictly forbidden. However, the lands of the

Aluku The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Boni (guerrilla leader), Bokilifu Boni. History The ...

Wayana The Wayana (alternate names: Ajana, Uaiana, Alucuyana, Guaque, Ojana, Oyana, Orcocoyana, Pirixi, Urukuena, Waiano etc.) are a Carib-speaking people located in the southeastern part of the Guiana highlands, a region divided between Brazil, Surin ...

Wayampi Wayampi or Wayãpi are an Indigenous people located in the south-eastern border area of French Guiana at the confluence of the rivers Camopi and Oyapock, and the basins of the Amapari and Carapanatuba Rivers in the central part of the states ...

and Teko tribes in

and

do not belong to this core area. The Teko considered it a restriction of their free movement, and the Aluku objected to restrictions to their sacred areas. The restriction of all previously acquired rights of the tribal inhabitants resulted the exception of the inhabited tribal zone. Put together with

Tumucumaque National Park The Tumucumaque Mountains National Park (; ) is situated in the Amazon Rainforest in the Brazilian states of Amapá and Pará. It is bordered to the north by French Guiana and Suriname. History Tumucumaque was declared a national park on Augu ...

(covering some in neighbouring

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

), the Guiana Amazonian Park represents the biggest rain forest protected area in the world.

Fauna

In the park there are 90 species of amphibians, 133 reptiles, 520 birds and 182 mammals (including many species of bats) and more than 200 species of freshwater fish

Mammals

New World Primates

The park includes several new world primates including the

Guyanan red howler The Guyanan red howler (''Alouatta macconnelli'') is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, native to Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, French Guiana, Venezuela and Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is ...

(Alouatta macconnelli),

wedge-capped capuchin The wedge-capped capuchin or Guianan weeper capuchin (''Cebus olivaceus'') is a capuchin monkey from South America. It is found in northern Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. ''Cebus olivaceus'' is known to dwell in tall, primary forest and travel ove ...

(''Cebus olivaceus''),

tufted capuchin The tufted capuchin (''Sapajus apella''), also known as brown capuchin, black-capped capuchin, or pin monkey, is a New World primate from South America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. As traditionally defined, it is one of t ...

(''Sapajus apella''),

white-faced saki The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), is a species of New World saki monkey. The small bodied neotropical primate can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. This species feeds mostly on fruits, nuts, seeds, ...

(''Pithecia pithecia''),

golden-handed tamarin The golden-handed tamarin (''Saguinus midas''), also known as the red-handed tamarin or Midas tamarin, is a New World monkey belonging to the family Callitrichidae. Distribution and habitat This species is native to wooded areas north of the Am ...

(''Saguinus midas''), and

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 ...

(''Ateles paniscus''). File:Cebus olivaceus gros plan.jpg, Wedge-capped capuchin File:Weisskopfsaki1a.jpg, white-faced saki File:Ateles paniscus (cropped).jpg, red faced spider monkey

Possums

Possum species include the

bare-tailed woolly opossum The bare-tailed woolly opossum (''Caluromys philander'') is an opossum from South America. It was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The bare-tailed woolly opossum is characterized by a gray head, brown to gray coat, ora ...

(caluromys philander),

Guianan white-eared opossum The Guianan white-eared opossum (''Didelphis imperfecta'') is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. Possessing the smallest distribution area of its genus, this species is e ...

(didelphis imperfecta).

common opossum The common opossum (''Didelphis marsupialis''), also called the southern or black-eared opossum or gambá, and sometimes called a possum, is a marsupial species living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Paci ...

(didelphis marsupialis),

woolly mouse opossum The woolly mouse opossum or long-furred woolly mouse opossum (''Marmosa demerarae''), known locally as the ''cuíca'', is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. Its range includes central Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana ...

(marmosa demerarae).

Linnaeus's mouse opossum Linnaeus's mouse opossum (''Marmosa murina''), also known as the common or murine mouse opossum, is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. Range and habitat Its range includes Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guy ...

(marmosa murina), delicate slender opossum (marmosops parvidens), Pinheiro's slender opossum (marmosops pinheiroi),

brown four-eyed opossum The brown four-eyed opossum (''Metachirus nudicaudatus'') is a pouchless marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is found in different forested habitats of Central and South America, from Nicaragua to Brazil and northern Argentina, including s ...

(metachirus nudicaudatus), Touan short-tailed opossum (monodelphis touan),

Gray four-eyed opossum The gray four-eyed opossum (''Philander opossum'') is an opossum species found in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and northern Brazil, at altitudes from sea level to 1600 m, but generally below . Its habitats include primary, secondary and distu ...

(philander opossum). The

water opossum The water opossum (''Chironectes minimus''), also locally known as the yapok (), is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae.* It is the only monotypic species of its genus, ''Chironectes''. This semiaquatic creature is found in and near freshwat ...

(chironectes minimus),

bushy-tailed opossum The bushy-tailed opossum (''Glironia venusta'') is an opossum from South America. It was first described by English zoologist Oldfield Thomas in 1912. It is a medium-sized opossum characterized by a large, oval, dark ears, fawn to cinnamon coat ...

(glironia cf. venusta),

Kalinowski's mouse opossum Kalinowski's mouse opossum or the Peru gracile mouse opossum (''Hyladelphys kalinowskii'') is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...

(Hyladelphys kalinowskii), and

Rufous mouse opossum The rufous mouse opossum (''Marmosa lepida'') or little rufous mouse opossum is an opossum species from South America. The species has been found in Bolivia, French Guinea, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname in lowland tropical ...

(Marmosa lepida) have been found but are rare or have unknown numbers.

Cats and Canines

Many cat and canine species are found in the park including the

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

(Leopardus pardalis),

margay The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Mexico, Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal felid, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted for the wildl ...

(Leopardus wiedii),

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''; or ) is a wild felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central America, Central and South America east of the Andes. T ...

(Herpailurus yagouaroundi), and

bush dog The bush dog (''Speothos venaticus'') is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first described by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossils ...

(Speothos venaticus).'''' File:Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)-8.jpg, Ocelot File:Leopardus wiedii sleeping.JPG, Margay File:Herpailurus yagouaroundi Jaguarundi ZOO Děčín.jpg, jaguarund

Mustelids

Mustelids include the

tayra The tayra (''Eira barbara'') is an omnivorous animal from the mustelid family, native to the Americas. It is the only species in the genus ''Eira''. Tayras are also known as the ''tolomuco'' or ''perico ligero'' in Central America, ''motete'' ...

(Eira barbara),

greater grison The greater grison (''Galictis vittata'') is a species of mustelid native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and South America. Description The greater grison is a slender animal with short legs, a long neck, and a short, bushy tail. They are ...

(Galictis vittata), and

neotropical river otter The neotropical otter or neotropical river otter (''Lontra longicaudis'') is a near-threatened (per the IUCN) otter species found in freshwater systems from Mexico and Central America through mainland South America, as well as the island of Trini ...

(''Lontra longicaudis'').

Procyonidae

Procyonidae include 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 ...

(Nasua nasua),

kinkajou The kinkajou ( /ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ ''KING-kə-joo''; ''Potos flavus'') is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus ''Pot ...

(Potos flavus), and

crab-eating raccoon The crab-eating raccoon, southern raccoon, or South American raccoon (''Procyon cancrivorus'') is a species of raccoon native to marshy and jungle areas of Central and South America (including Trinidad and Tobago). It is found from Costa Rica so ...

(Procyon cancrivorus). File:Coati roux Amiens 4.jpg, South American coati File:Potos flavus (22985770100).jpg, Kinkajou File:Mano pelada (Procyon cancrivorus nigripes).JPG, Crab-eating racoon

Porcupines

Porcupines include the

black-tailed hairy dwarf porcupine The black-tailed hairy dwarf porcupine (''Coendou melanurus'') is a porcupine species from the family Erethizontidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species was formerly sometimes a ...

(Coendou melanurus) and

Brazilian porcupine The Brazilian porcupine (''Coendou prehensilis'') is a porcupine found in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia and Trinidad, with a single record from Ecuador. It inhabits tropi ...

(Coendou prehensilis).

Armadillo

Armadillos include the

greater long-nosed armadillo The greater long-nosed armadillo (''Dasypus kappleri'') is a South American species of armadillo found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It is a solitary, nocturnal, terrestrial animal tha ...

(Dasypus kappleri),

nine-banded armadillo The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America, making ...

(Dasypus novemcintus),

giant armadillo The giant armadillo (''Priodontes maximus''), colloquially ''tatu-canastra'', ''tatou'', ''ocarro'' or ''tatú carreta'', is the largest living species of armadillo (although their extinct relatives, the Glyptodontidae, glyptodonts, were much l ...

(Priodontes maximus).

Anteater

Anteaters include the

silky anteater The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes'', the only living genus in the family Cyclopedidae. Found in southern Mexico ...

(Cyclopes didactylus),

giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an Insectivore, insectivorous mammal native to Central America, Central and South America. It is the largest of the four living species of anteaters, which are classified with sloths in the or ...

(Myrmecophaga tridactyla), and

southern tamandua The southern tamandua (''Tamandua tetradactyla''), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is a solitary animal found in many habitats, from ...

(Tamandua tetradactyla) File:Silky Anteater.jpg, Silky Anteater File:Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) (CWPG) (1).jpg, Giant anteater File:Tamandua tetradactyla qtl1.jpg, Southern tamandua

Bats

There are more than 100 species of bat in French Guyana. These bats play an important role in the dispersal of seeds especially in the dispersal of seeds in open areas. For example, the seeds plants including ''

Cecropia ''Cecropia'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of 61 recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees. The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics, with the majority of the speci ...

'', ''

Solanum ''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solana ...

'', and ''

Vismia ''Vismia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae. Members of the genus are small trees and shrubs found in tropical and subtropical areas of Central America and South America. Including the countries of Belize, Bolivia, Brazil ...

'' are often the first plants to grow in large open areas are readily dispersed by bats. Once the bat dispersed plants begin to grow, conditions improve for other seed dispersing animals such as birds and mammals who will then introduce the seeds of plants they transport into the area. While bats are vital to reforestation efforts, deforestation threatens bat species richness in the region. Forest corridors and forest blocks can effectively improve species richness.

Other Mammals

Other mammals in the park include

collared peccary The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a peccary, a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Peccary, Tayassuidae found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the gen ...

(Dicotyles tajacu),

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 ...

(Mazama americana), Amazonian brown brocket (Mazama nemorivaga), Guianan squirrel (Sciurus aestuans),

Neotropical pygmy squirrel The Neotropical pygmy squirrel (''Sciurillus pusillus'') is a South American species of tree squirrel, being the only living species in the genus ''Sciurillus'' and the subfamily Sciurillinae. Genetic analysis has shown it to be the sister group ...

(Sciurillus pusillus),

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 ...

(Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris),

red-rumped agouti The red-rumped agouti (''Dasyprocta leporina''), also known as the golden-rumped agouti, orange-rumped agouti or Brazilian agouti, is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae. Distribution It is native to northeastern South America, ma ...

(Dasyprocta leporina), red acouchi (Myoprocta acouchy),

lowland paca The lowland paca (''Cuniculus paca''), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria. The animal is call ...

(Cuniculus paca),

three-toed sloth The three-toed or three-fingered sloths are arboreal neotropical mammals. They are the only members of the genus ''Bradypus'' (meaning "slow-footed") and the family Bradypodidae. The five living species of three-toed sloths are the brown-throa ...

(Bradypus tridactylus),

two-toed sloth ''Choloepus'' is a genus of xenarthran mammals from Central and South America within the monotypic family Choloepodidae, consisting of two-toed sloths, sometimes also called two-fingered sloths. The two species of ''Choloepus'' (which means "la ...

(Choloepus didactylus), and several species of rodents. File:Red Brocket (Mazama americana) male (28091090800).jpg, Red brocket File:Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (6337849262).jpg, capybara File:Bradypus.jpg, Three-toed sloth

Birds

There are more than 700 species of birds in French Guyana with more than 500 species located within the Park.

Flora

Tropical forest covers most of the territory of the Park where the number of vascular plants present is estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000 species (including more than 1,000 trees), or a tenth of the world's plant

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

. The tallest trees such as the ''

Hura crepitans ''Hura crepitans'', the sandbox tree, also known as possumwood, monkey no-climb, assacu (from Tupi ''asaku'') and jabillo, is an evergreen tree in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to tropical regions of North and South America including the Amaz ...

and

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, ...

can'' reach 55 to 65 meters in height. A single hectare of forest frequently contains more different species of trees than the entire flora of Metropolitan France.

Tourism

Part of the National Parks of France, tourists can access the park. The park includes more than 130 km of trails with different levels of accessibility. Near the village of Saül there are 45 km of signposted trails designed for tourists. Five trails have been designed for visitors with reduced mobility as part of France's "Amazon for All" program. Other hiking and tourist opportunities exist including trails leading up to Mont Galbao, the

inselberg An inselberg or monadnock ( ) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, an ...

Susu Bella, or Gobaya Soula falls.

References

Bibliography

External links

Official website
* {{authority control Camopi Environment of French Guiana Geography of French Guiana Maripasoula National parks of France Papaichton Protected areas established in 2007 Protected areas of French Guiana Saint-Élie Saül, French Guiana Tourist attractions in French Guiana