In our previous issue, “UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Latin America and the Caribbean Part I: Overview”, we highlighted a range of sites along with their categories. In part II, “Natural Sites in the Southern Cone”, we outlined the five locations in that area.

In this issue, our journey based on geographical proximity continues and we bring you eight remarkable sites in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Each site offers a unique experience and a different aspect of Latin America’s natural beauty. With its seven UNESCO-listed natural wonders, Brazil will receive its dedicated feature in a future issue to cover its 21 designated sites in South America.

1-Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia

The National Park, spanning 1,523,000 hectares, is one of the Amazon Basin’s largest and most pristine parks. With elevations ranging from 200 to nearly 1,000 meters, it features diverse habitats, from Cerrado savannahs and forests to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park’s evolutionary history spans over a billion years to the Precambrian period. It is home to around 4,000 plant species, over 600 bird species, and numerous viable populations of globally endangered or threatened vertebrates. The park includes a variety of habitats, such as evergreen rainforests, palm forests, cerrado, swamps, savannahs, gallery forests, and semi-deciduous dry forests. As the cerrado habitats on the Huanchaca Meseta have remained isolated for millions of years, they are the perfect natural laboratory for studying ecosystem evolution. 

2-Huascarán National Park, Perú

Mount Huascarán, located in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, the highest tropical mountain range, rises 6,768 meters above sea level. Huascarán National Park, covering 340,000 hectares, protects this diverse mountain landscape, named after the Inca leader Huascar. The park spans altitudes from 2,500 to over 6,000 meters, featuring ecosystems like tropical forests, Paramo and Puna grasslands, and tropical tundra. It embraces iconic species such as the spectacled bear, the puma, the Andean condor, and vicuña, once on the brink of extinction in the 1960s but now a conservation success story, and over 800 plant species, including the endangered Queen of the Andes. The park’s rich biodiversity and stunning scenery include glaciers, glacial lakes, and deep ravines, a place of natural beauty.

3-Manú National Park, Perú

Manu National Park, situated at the intersection of the Tropical Andes and Amazon Basin in southwestern Peru, is recognized for its biodiversity. It spans 1,716,295 hectares and reaching over 4,000 meters of altitude, the park features distinct vegetation zones like Andean Puna grasslands, cloud forests, Yunga forests, and lowland rainforests. Its diverse altitudes and microclimates create a mosaic of habitats hosting 2,000 to 5,000 plant species and over 1,000 vertebrate species, including 200 mammals and 800 bird species. Notable mammals include giant otters, armadillos, 13 primate species, jaguars, pumas, and the endangered Andean mountain cat. The park is also home to indigenous peoples, some in isolation, while others maintain outside contact. Incan ruins and petroglyphs reveal a long history of human occupation, with legends suggesting the lost Incan city of Paititi may be hidden within the park. The park’s isolation, lack of roads, and difficult access have protected it from significant human impacts, though potential threats like gas extraction and road construction could be disruptive.

4-Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Located 1,000 km from the South American coast, the Galápagos Islands consist of 19 islands and a vast marine reserve, renowned as a ‘living museum and showcase of evolution.’ Situated where three ocean currents converge, the region supports diverse marine life. The islands’ seismic and volcanic activity, along with their isolation, has led to the development of unique species like the land iguana, giant tortoise, and various finches, which influenced Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

The Galápagos Marine Reserve is home to an exceptional variety of marine life, from corals and sharks to penguins and marine mammals. Equally interestingly, the Nazca, Cocos, and Pacific tectonic plates shape the reserve’s geology. The islands also show an evolutionary history, with volcanic activity and erosion offering insights into their formation. The marine life here is unusually familiar with humans, often swimming alongside divers. The connection between marine and terrestrial life is clear, with different species like seabirds, marine iguanas, and sea lions showing the deep bond between land and sea.

5-Sangay National Park, Ecuador

Sangay National Park, located in the provinces of Morona Santiago, Chimborazo, and Tungurahua, Ecuador, covers an area of 270,000 hectares, showcasing an extraordinary range of ecosystems from tropical rainforests to glaciers. Three towering volcanoes accentuate its natural beauty: Tungurahua (5,016m), Altar (5,319m), and the highly active Sangay (5,140m), one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The park has an altitude ranging from 900 to 5,319 meters above sea level and offers a diversity of ecological habitats, including cloud forests, Amazon rainforests, páramos, and grasslands. The park’s isolation has allowed many indigenous species to thrive, such as the endangered mountain tapir and Andean condor. It is also a critical habitat for threatened species like the spectacled bear. Its snowcapped peaks blend with the dense forests of the plains creating one of the most complex ecosystems in the world.

6-Los Katíos National Park, Colombia

Los Katíos National Park, covering 72,000 hectares in north-western Colombia, features a landscape of low hills, forests, and humid plains. Its rich biodiversity includes numerous endangered animal species and many endemic plants. Situated in the Colombian mountain zone at elevations up to 600 meters, the park also contains essential wetland areas like Ciénagas de Tumaradó. Los Katíos National Park is the only area in South America where many Central American species, such as the American crocodile, giant anteater, and Central American tapir, coexist with South American species. This fascinating coexistence, along with the park’s approximately 450 bird species, makes Los Katíos a crucial refuge for many species at risk of extinction and for typically Central American species that are not found elsewhere in South America, which makes it a true marvel of biodiversity.

7-Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, Colombia

Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, located 506 km off Colombia’s Pacific coast, includes the barren Malpelo Island (350 ha) and a vast marine area (857,465 ha). It is the largest no-fishing zone in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, serving as a critical habitat for endangered marine species like sharks, giant grouper, and billfish. The sanctuary is globally recognized for its steep underwater cliffs and caves, making it a premier diving destination, with large aggregations of hammerhead, silky, and whale sharks and tuna. Malpelo supports diverse marine life, including 17 marine mammal species, 394 fish species, and notable endemics. Its rocky outcroppings also host unique terrestrial species and substantial bird populations, such as Nazca Boobies and the endangered Galapagos Petrel. Thanks to its remoteness and protection initiative, Malpelo maintains an excellent conservation status, preserving its rich biodiversity and natural beauty.

8-Canaima National Park, Venezuela

Canaima National Park is located in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil. It covers 3 million hectares and  roughly 65% of the park is covered by Table Mountain (tepui) formations, which constitute a unique biogeological entity and are of great geological interest. The sheer cliffs and waterfalls, including the world’s highest (1,000 m), form a spectacular landscape.

References

World Heritage List

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/&order=region

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/967

Huascarán National Park, Perú

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/333

Manú National Park, Perú

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/402

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1

Sangay National Park, Ecuador

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/260

Los Katíos National Park, Colombia

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/711

Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, Colombia

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1216

Canaima National Park, Venezuela

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/701