Sierra de Perijá National Park

Sierra de Perijá National Park, also known as Perijá National Park, is a protected area in Venezuela. It is located in the Serranía de Perijá mountains on the border with Colombia,[1] to the southwest of Zulia state and Lake Maracaibo. The park was established in 1978 with the objective of protecting the hilly regions.[2]

Sierra de Perijá National Park
Perijá National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Perijá National Park
Location in Venezuela
LocationVenezuela
Nearest cityMaracaibo
Coordinates9°32′0″N 73°0′0″W
Area295,288 hectares (729,670 acres)
Established1978
Governing bodyInstituto Nacional de Parques(INPARQUES)
’’National Park Institute’’

Geography
A river in the park.

Sierra de Perijá National Park is situated in the Perija and Colon municipalities of Zulia State. The park is accessible by road from Maracaibo.[1]

The park includes a portion of the Serranía de Perijá mountains,[3] which rises above the southwestern area of Lake Maracaibo, a large brackish bay connected to the Gulf of Venezuela. The highest elevation is Pico Tétar at 3,500 metres (11,500 ft).[1] It covers an area of 295,288 hectares (729,670 acres).[4]

Flora and fauna
Forested area

The vegetation in the park consists mainly of rainforest, cloud forests, highland moors and sub-alpine and alpine tundra.[1] Some typical trees include Anacardium excelsum, wax palms Ceroxylon, Cecropia, Gyranthera caribensis, Tabebuia chrysantha, T. billbergii, T. chrysea and Podocarpus oleifolius and there are many herbs, flowering plants and bromeliads.[5][6]

The wildlife in the park includes spectacled bear, as well as capuchin and howler monkeys.[1] Dolphins in Lake Maracaibo are proposed to be brought under a protection programme through the South American River Dolphin Protected Area Network.[2]

Birds may include parrot species such as the endangered military macaw (Ara militaris).[7] An endangered bird species found in the park is the Perija metaltail hummingbird (Metallura iracunda).[8] It is also the habitat for another hummingbird, Coeligena consita, an endemic species of the Sierra de Perijá found on its southern slopes.[9] A newly discovered species of tapaculo found in the park is the Perijá tapaculo (Scytalopus perijanus) which was first described in 2015.[10]

Threats

Uncontrolled fires and deforestation are major threats to the natural ecosystems in the park.[11]

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References
  1. "Perijá". think-venezuela.net. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. Hoyt 2012, p. 240.
  3. Dallmeier & Cringan 1989, p. 300.
  4. "National Parks of Venezuela". World Institute for Conservation & Environment. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  5. IUCN Directory of Neotropical Protected Areas. IUCN. 1982. pp. 381–. ISBN 978-0-907567-62-2.
  6. Soto Villalobos, José Alberto; Ferrer-Paris, José R.; Sanchez-Mercado, Ada; Grande, Jose Ramón; Cardozo-Urdaneta, Arlene; Vargas, Thayma (2016). "Sinopsis del género Tabebuia s.l. (Angiospermae: Bignoniaceae) en el estado Zulia, Venezuela". figshare. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.3081088.v1. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  7. "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Two Foreign Macaw Species". Federal Register: Daily Journal of the United States Government. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  8. "EN:Perija Metaltail Metallura iracunda". Birdlife International. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  9. "VU:Perija Starfrontlet Coeligena consita". Birdlife International. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  10. "Perijá Tapaculo: New Bird Species Discovered in Colombia, Venezuela". Sci-News.com. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  11. Ferrer-Paris, José R. (2016). "Ubicación de los Incendios en la Sierra de Perijá, estado Zulia Venezuela, entre enero 2015 y marzo 2016". figshare. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.3116761. Retrieved 2 July 2016.

Bibliography
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