People
with
special knowledge in the field of biology could help us by observing and
documenting different species in this rural area of biodiversity. The
idea of this project is to be able to document all kinds of possible
biodiversity through photos and videos in order to develop different
types of teaching materials to share with the community and different
Peruvian and international schools.
El Sira Natural Reserve / Codo Del Pozuzo Natura Reserve
WILD LIFE
One of the places in Peru that biologists, birdwatchers and explorers cannot miss
is, El Sira Communal Reserve (Spanish: Reserva Comunal El Sira).
This is a protected area in Peru created on 23 June 2001 and located in three
regions: the Huánuco Region (Puerto Inca Province), the Pasco Region (Oxapampa
Province) and the Ucayali Region (Atalaya Province and Coronel Portillo
Province).
The whole area is extremely rich in birds including many localized
lowland and foothill birds such as Blue-headed Macaw, Curl-crested Aracari,
Sulphury Flycatcher, Black-capped and White-bellied Parrots, Wing-banded Wren,
Crested and Band-bellied Owls, Solitary Eagle, Koepcke's Hermit, Black-streaked
Puffbird, Creamy-bellied Antwren, Peruvian Tyrannulet, Cerulean-capped and Jet
Manakins, Fiery-throated and Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater, Olivaceous Piha and
Rufous-brown Solitaire.
Of the mammals in the El Sira
Communal Reserve, 54 species are of
special importance due to a threat category, such as: giant armadillo
(Priodontes maximus), pacarana (Dinomys branickii), river otter (Pteronura
brasiliensis), tapir (Tapirus terrestris), Amazon River dolphin (Inia
geoffrensis), manatee (Trichechus inunguis), bush dog (Speothus venaticus),
spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth), jaguar (Panthera onca) and otter (Lontra
longicaudis).
In addition, 203 species of BIRDS
have been registered, especially the Passeriformes with 63 species. The Sira is
one of the greatest areas of bird endemism of the planet (Peruvian East Andean
Foothills). Among the most representative endemic species of birds is the
Paujil del Sira or Piurí (Pauxi
unicornis koepckeae), a subspecies of horned curassow that lives only in
the El Sira mountain range.
The Sira curassow, a large bird in
the Cracidae family is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Also endemic are the Sira tanager
(Tangara phillipsi) and the Sira
hummingbird (Paethornis koepckeae).
Picture yourself walking among the ear-deafening noise of hundreds of
parrots and macaws, an unforgettable cacophonic experience as you explore the
Amazon jungle. Imagine having a close encounter with a beautiful male toucan,
with his powerful and long beak, or seeing the colorful macaws as they soar
above the trees. Experience the overwhelming image of a Marvelous Spatuletail
(Loddigesia mirabilis) hauling his coin-sized tail discs or moving through the
bushes at 14,000 feet.
There is also a large possibility of future scientific discoveries of species
and subspecies of birds in areas of the reserve that are relatively
inaccessible and that, as a consequence of their remoteness, may add new
records of species not previously encountered.
In addition, some 105 species of
reptiles have been reported, of the families of the Amphisbaenidae,
saurians and especially snakes. Also 68 species of amphibians, mostly toads and
frogs of the families Hylidae and Leptodactylidae, are known from the reserve.
Finally, 111 species of bony fish have been reported, the most diverse being
Characiformes.
FLORA
Some 190 species have been collected, including 8 endangered species, such as
tall or red cedar (Cedrela odorata), mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), quinilla
(Manilkara bidentata), ceiba (Ceiba pentandra), ishpingo (Amburana cearensis)
and palo rosa (Aniba rosaeodora). In the high parts the vegetation consists of
trees with thin stems and small crowns, with a high presence of epiphytes:
Bromeliads, orchids, ferns, Piperaceae, lichens, Sellaginaceae and mosses;
while in the lower part there are taller and more vigorous trees with diameters
exceeding 1.5m, in whose branches there is a varied plant community, composed
of bromeliads, ferns, orchids and anthuriums, among others. There are 44
registered orchid species.
5
