Tatamá National Natural Park Explained

Tatamá National Natural Park should not be confused with Tamá National Natural Park.

Tatamá National Natural Park
Alt Name:PNN Tatamá
Iucn Category:II
Map:Colombia
Relief:1
Label: PNN Tatamá
Label Position:right
Mark:Blue_pog.svg
Marker Size:10px
Nearest City:Pueblo Rico
Area Ha:51900
Designation:National Natural Park
Established:1987
Administrator:SINAP

Tatamá National Natural Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Natural Tatamá or PNN Tatamá) is a national park in the Cordillera Occidental, Colombia. Established in 1987,[1] the park encompasses of primary west-Andean tropical and subtropical rainforest, temperate cloud forest, and páramo habitat in an area that spans the departments of Risaralda, Chocó and Valle del Cauca, within the Chocó bioregion.[2]

The protected area is of high scientific interest because of its rich biodiversity and the unique state of conservation of its ecosystems. The park is home to tributaries of the San Juan and Cauca Rivers and, in its highest elevation area, to Páramo Tatamá, which along Frontino and El Duende, represents one of the only three páramos in Colombia that have not been altered by humans. Cerro Tatamá, the highest peak in the Cordillera Occidental, reaching an elevation of, lies within the park.

Flora and fauna

Over 560 species of orchids can be found in the park, many of which are endemic to the area (such as the Montezuma maxillaria). The protected area is also a popular birding destination in Colombia with more than 620 bird species recorded, including 16 endemic to Colombia (of which seven are only found in the western Cordillera):[3] [4] [5]

Access

The park can only be accessed via Montezuma Road (Spanish: Camino de Montezuma), a dirt road that starts in the town of Pueblo Rico and winds up Cerro Montezuma to a military base at its summit, . The Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge property, located near the entrance of the park, is the main gateway to the protected area.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Parque Nacional Natural Tatamá . 2022-12-31 . Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia . es-ES.
  2. Web site: Tatamá Natural National Park . 2022-12-31 . IUCN Green List . en-US.
  3. Web site: PNN Tatamá--Camino Montezuma, RIS, CO - eBird Hotspot . 2023-01-02 . ebird.org . en.
  4. Web site: Safeguard the "grandfather of the rivers" watershed in Colombia . 2022-12-31 . Rainforest Trust . en-US.
  5. Web site: 2015-10-28 . Birding and Ecotourism in Colombia . 2022-12-31 . National Audubon Society . en.