Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza
| Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza | |||
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| Location: | Cundinamarca , Colombia | ||
| Next city: | Bogotá | ||
| Surface: | 76,600 hectares | ||
| Founding: | 1977 | ||
| Address: | [1] | ||
The Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza is a Colombian natural park founded in 1977 . It extends across the two departments of Cundinamarca and Meta in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes in an area of 76,600 hectares . Its height profile ranges from 800 m to a height of 4020 m above sea level. The average temperatures are between 4 and 21.5 ° C. As in the Parque Nacional Natural Sumapaz, representatives of the Espeletia genus shape the landscape . The goals of the park are the protection of the existing ecosystems , the preservation of the cult sites of the Muiscas , as well as a development for ecotourism . Part of the park is also protected as a Ramsar area .
geography
The park is located between 73 ° 30 'and 73 ° 55' East and 4 ° '20 and 4 ° 50 'North on the territory of the eleven municipalities of Choachí , El Calvario , Cumaral , Fómenque , Gachalá , Guasca , Junín , Medina , Quetame , Restrepo and San Juanito . The main part of the park is in Fómenque, Gachalá, Medina and San Juanito. In total, the park covers 2.5% of the area of Cundinamarca and 0.2% of the area of Metas. Originally, in the Resolución ejecutiva No. 153 del 6 de junio de 1977, only 50,000 hectares were counted as part of the park area. Through the Resolución ejecutiva No. 70 de 1978 and Resolución ejecutiva No. 0550 de 1998 the park area was expanded to its present size.
The relief of the park is characterized by three glaciations . While the end of the second and third glaciations developed quite well between 10,000 and 12,000 BC. BC and around 3000 BC The period of the first glaciation of the area has not yet been conclusively clarified.
Flora and fauna
The spectrum of the 1003 known plant species currently includes 436 genera from 177 families . The Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza, together with the Parque Nacional Natural Sumapaz, is also one of the last retreats for some endemic animal species. Among the species living here include, for example, the spectacled bear , the white-tailed deer , the Red Zwergmazama , the mountain tapir , the Bergpaka and Puma . Prominent representatives among the birds are, for example, the Andean condor and the Andean cliff bird .
Cultural meaning
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There are also numerous ceremonial and religious places of the Chibcha and Muisca in the park area . One of the most important places of worship is the Laguna de Siecha . In order to get to the gold sacrifices sunk in it, the conquistadors tried to drain the laguna through a canal that was closed again in the 20th century.
climate
The amount of precipitation in the park area decreases sharply from east to west. While around 4500 mm of precipitation falls annually on the east side, it is only 1200 mm on the east edge of the park. The amount of precipitation also fluctuates strongly depending on the season. Between December and February only nine to 17% of the annual precipitation falls, between May and August, however, a little more than 60%. The temperatures vary significantly more during the day than during the year. The mean temperature difference over the year is only 5 ° C on average; in one day the temperature can easily fluctuate by 13 to 25 ° C. In general, areas with more rain are cooler than those with less rainfall.
Economic use
In addition to being used for recreational purposes, around 80% of the drinking water for Bogotá and the surrounding area is obtained in the park area through the Empresa de Acueducto de Bogotá . In addition, electricity is produced at the Alberto Lleras dam (also known as the Guavio dam ).
Threat to the park
The park is repeatedly endangered by fires, especially along the streets that intersect the park. The number of these fires increases particularly in El Niño years. On average, it hits 433 hectares annually with 10 fires. Illegal hunting and extensive livestock farming in the park area represent a further threat . The latter often occurs together with fires and illegal hunting or as the actual cause. In addition to the direct threats from illegal hunting, runaway, trained dogs of the hunter form a further significant disturbance of the animal structure.
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- Documento Ejecutivo Del Plan De Manejo Del Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza 2005–2009 ( Spanish , PDF; 1.0 MB). Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- Resolución ejecutiva No. 154 del 6 de junio de 1977 ( Spanish , PDF; 85 kB) Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- Colombia - Parques Naturales. Villegas Editores, Bogotá 2006, ISBN 958-8156-88-2 .