Río Los Cipreses National Reserve Explained

Río Los Cipreses National Reserve
Iucn Category:IV
Iucn Ref:[1]
Map:Chile
Relief:yes
Map Width:160
Location:Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region, Chile
Coordinates:-34.4649°N -70.4551°W
Area Km2:385.82
Established:1986
Governing Body:Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF)

Río Los Cipreses National Reserve is a nature reserve located in Machalí, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region, Chile. It is named after Río Los Cipreses, a tributary of Cachapoal River and lies in one of the most glaciated areas of the Central Chile Andes.

The reserve contains Valdivian temperate forests at lower elevations and Southern Andean steppe at higher elevations.[2] It also protects some of the northernmost stands of Austrocedrus chilensis.

The reserve is used by mountain climbers, and is home to a number mountain trails, including the Palomo volcano, Alto de Los Arrieros and Cerro Dr. Hernán Cruz. In addition to the mountains, the reserve contains various prehispanic petroglyphs and an array of flora and fauna.

As of 2012, public transport to the reserve is either extremely limited or non-existent, and travelling there by private vehicle is recommended. A limited number of tour operators in Rancagua offer trips to the reserve.

References

Notes and References

  1. UNEP-WCMC (2023). Protected Area Profile for Rio Los Cipreses from the World Database on Protected Areas. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein . Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth . . 2001 . 51 . 11 . 933–938 . 10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2 . etal . free .