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Iquitos Travel Guide
- Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
“The Mirrored Jungle”
 With
2 million hectares, it is the biggest National Reserve of Peru, also it is the
largest protected flooded forest of the world and one of the richest places in
biological wealth on the planet. Between its biological diversity we find 449 of
tropical bird species, 102 of mammals, 256 known species of freshwater fish, 69
of reptiles and more than 1000 varieties of plants, as well as species in danger
of extinction like the giant otter, the black lizard, the manatee and the pink
dolphin of the Amazon. The place's beauty, as well as its biological wealth
makes the reserve a particularly important destination for scientific
investigators, nature lovers and bird watchers.
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve stands out among Peru's natural protected
areas. Located in the Department of Loreto, in
the provinces of Loreto, Requena, Ucayali and Alto Amazonas, with an extension
of more than 8000 square miles, it is considered one of the largest of South
America, holding an spectacular diversity of flora and fauna including
endangered species as the black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus), the
wooly monkey (Lagothrix lagoticha) and the giant river otter (Pteronura
brasiliensis).
So far it has been possible to identified 132 mammal species, among these many
primates and rodents; 330 bird species, including 23 migrating species. It is
estimated that there are over 70 reptile species and a similar number of
amphibian species; 220 fish species prove that aqua-fauna is the most important
source of the reserve which includes the paiche (Arapaima giga),
considered the largest fresh water fish in the world.
Flora is equally one of the most diverse of the wet tropical forest. It has been
determined so far that there are 847 vegetable species, grouped in 118 families,
being 22 of them orchids. It should be remarked that there are also within the
reserve great extensions of palm trees and among these the most common is the
aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa).
 There
are also timber tree species in Pacaya Samiria such as cedar (Cederia odorata)
and mahogany (Maena capimori) very much appreciated in the Peruvian and
international market; it is this the reason why occasionally these are threaten
by unscrupulous loggers.
People from the communities within the perimeter of the reserve have organized
themselves to help government forest rangers in an effort to protect the natural
resources in this area.
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve main objectives are:
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To conserve low-jungle representative ecosystems.
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To encourage the study of the area's flora and fauna.
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To improve and extend education about the area.
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To interest the local population on the benefits of conservation and good
management of fauna.
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To encourage and promote the use of natural resources according to the
principles of proper ecological development.
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