Darién National Park
| Darién National Park | |||
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| Location: | Panama | ||
| Next city: | Yaviza | ||
| Surface: | 5970 km² | ||
| Founding: | 1980 | ||
| Darién National Park | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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| National territory: |
 Panama
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| Type: | nature |
| Criteria : | (vii) (ix) (x) |
| Surface: | 579,000 ha |
| Reference No .: | 159 |
| UNESCO region : | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 1981 ( session 5 ) |
The Daríen National Park is located in the southeast of Panama , along the border with Colombia and thus on the southernmost part of the land bridge between Central and South America .
This was founded on September 27, 1980. In 1981 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site and in 1983 a Biosphere Reserve . With an area of 5970 km², it is the largest national park in Central America. In the south it borders on the Colombian National Park Los Katíos , which has also been declared a World Heritage Site.
This is located in one of the most species-rich tropical rainforests on earth. A wide range of animal and plant species can be found here. The great variety of habitats offers space for an unusually large biodiversity . The protected area is home to beaches, mangrove forests and, on the Pacific side, lagoons. For the most part, the park consists of different types of tropical rainforest. At 1,845 m, Cerro Tacarcuna is the highest point in the national park and forms the watershed between the Pacific and the Caribbean .
With the three indigenous peoples of the Embera , the Kuna and the Wounaan , the area is also culturally diverse.
climate
The annual rainfall is between 3000 mm and 4000 mm on the Caribbean side and about 4000 mm and 5000 mm on the Pacific side. The dry season, with an average rainfall of 100 mm per month, runs from January to March. The temperature varies from 16 to 35 ° C with an annual average of 26 ° C.
flora
The forests of the Darién province are still largely undisturbed and form the most biodiverse habitats in Central America. Around 2440 plant species have been identified, around 40 of which are endemic. The main part of the landscape is characterized by humid and very humid tropical rainforests.
In the mangrove forests of the coasts one meets z. B. on the black and red mangrove , further west on the umbrella acacia Albizia caribaea , the wool tree plant Bombacopsis quinata , the buttercup tree , the mimosa plant Prosopis juliflora and the palm Sabal allenii . In the freshwater marshes, palm trees such as Manicaria and Jessenia and also Copaifera and Pachira aquatica usually grow . About 10% of the park consists of deciduous tropical lowland forest. Much of it appears to be secondary forest created by indigenous peoples but abandoned when the Spaniards arrived over 500 years ago. Some of the largest specimens in this area, around 40 m in size, belong to the species Cavanillesia platanifolia . The warm, humid mountain forest, which begins at around 200 m above sea level, covers around 60% of the park. Lianas , epiphytes and ferns are numerous here. Cloud forest begins at a height of about 700 m, the predominant tree species here is Oenocarpus panamanus . This region takes up about 30% of the park.
fauna
The region is exceptionally rich in species. So far 169 species of mammals, 533 species of birds, 99 species of reptiles, 78 species of amphibians and 50 species of fish have been identified. Endemic species are common. For many species, Daríen represents a kind of demarcation line, animal species from North and South America meet here.
The white-tailed deer , who prefer forest clearings, shares the area with the forest-loving spit deer , the red mazama. The largest rodents , the capybaras, live here as well as the Central American agouti and the paka . The American crocodile shares the rivers with its South American cousin, the crocodile caiman . The distribution area of the coyote extends to central Panama and is replaced here by the smaller forest dog , which is distributed further south to Brazil. In addition to the black-spotted jaguars , the ocelots , the long-tailed cats and Northern Tiger Cats , also live here Jaguarundi and Puma . The black-headed, northern subspecies of the brown-headed spider monkey begins here to replace the Geoffroy's spider monkey, which has a reddish dorsal fur and which lives further north . In addition, four other species of monkeys live here, the Panama night monkey , coat howler monkey , white-shouldered capuchin and Geoffroy wig monkey . Even brown-throated sloth , giant anteater , Weißbart- and collared peccary , and Baird's Tapir can be found here.
Seven mammal species are considered endemic, the pocket rat species Orthogeomys dariénsis , the climbing mouse species Rhipidomys scandens and the slender- pouched rat Marmosops invictus .
The number of whale species living offshore is estimated at 20, that of sharks at 33 and that of sea turtles at four.
The forests of Darién are the only area in Central America where four colorful macaw species can be found. The great soldier macaw , which can also be found further north, and the red bugaras , yellow-breasted macaws and the green-winged macaws, which are actually only native to South America . The largest population of the most powerful bird of prey on earth, the harpy , which hunts larger birds and monkeys here and is also Panama's national bird lives here. Other birds of prey include the magpie eagle and the red-throated caracara . In the forests one also encounters the hokko chickens , tuberkelhokko and rust-bellied guuan . Of the species found in the lowlands, the brown-mantled frontal bird , kerrtinamu and slick-back ant shrike are listed as endangered species. Five species of birds are considered endemic, e.g. B. the northern pearl prickly tail ( Margarornis bellulus ) and the glossy spot tangar ( Tangara fucosa ).
threat
The expansion of the last section of the Panamericana is a threat to the entire area . This road, which connects the entire American double continent, is currently only interrupted by the so-called Tapón del Darién . Another threat comes from neighboring Colombia. Large patches of forest were cleared along the border on the Colombian side. The adjacent Los Katíos National Park is also threatened by deforestation and illegal hunting, so it has been classified as endangered by UNESCO since 2009.
literature
- John F. Eisenberg: Mammals of the Neotropic, The Northern Neotropics. The University of Chicago Press, 1989, ISBN 0-226-19540-6 .
- Fiona A. Reid: Mammals of Central America & Southeast Mexico. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-19-534323-6 .
- Robert S. Ridgely , John A. Gwynne Jr .: Birds of Panama. 2nd Edition. Princeton Paperbacks, 1989, ISBN 0-691-02512-6 .
- Laura and William Riley: Nature's Strongholds. Princeton University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-691-12219-9 .
Web links
- DARIÉN NATIONAL PARK PANAMA. ( Memento of January 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) United Nations Environment Program
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Heritage: Portobello and San Lorenzo forts on the Caribbean coast (1980, R ) | Panama City Historic District , Salón Bolívar and Panamá Viejo Archaeological Sites (1997)
Natural heritage: Darién National Park (1981) | Talamanca Mountains and La Amistad National Park (1983) | Coiba National Park and its marine protected areas (2005)