LIMONCOCHA BIOLOGICAL RESERVE

Resumen Limoncocha Biological Reserve

The Limoncocha Biological Reserve , located in the Sacha-Shushufindi Corridor, is mainly made up of Lake Limoncocha (formerly called Capucuy), the surrounding areas, and the so named Black Lake. known as Yanacocha. 100% of the area corresponds to a RAMSAR Wetland, denomination obtained in July 1998. The Black Lake, the Jivino and Capucuy rivers, make up the core of this wetland and also the intangible and pristine zone of the Reserve. The reserve is located in Sucumbia Province, very close to the Yasuni National Park. The Reserve includes some oil fields.

Tourism

TOURISM: The Reserve is entered from the towns of Nueva Loja (Lago Agrio) or Francisco de Orellana (Coca). They are easily reached, bu aire and by road. From the Coca it is possible to get there river transport in about 3 hours to the town from Pompeii. During the trip it is possible to observe the secundary forests on the banks of the river as well as birds. It is also possible to go by road; the same road that comes from Lago Agrio in the Sacha sector, and then continues on by Shushufindi to Limoncocha on a 130 km gravel road.

LAKE LIMONCOCHA: It is a place of great beauty, irregular in shape, with a lime-green hue of its waters, due to the effect of the algea bloom caused by eutrophication for nearby settlements. When I visited it in the 1970s it did not have such coloring. The lake represents an important tourist and scientific attraction due to the great flora and fauna diversity that it possesses. In the day, you caj watch  of aquatic birds, fish and turtles; while at night, it is an ideal place to find black and white caimans. It is possible to navigate with the guidance of the members of the community. You can safely swim in the lake, despite the fact that there may are pirañas.

ISLANDS AND BEACHES OF THE NAPO RIVER: The entire lake system in this area is part of the river Napo basin. Its islands and sand banks are places that offer multiple resources for recreation and observation of the nature. They are permanently used as a transit areas for tourists and locals.

CAPUCUY RIVER: has suffered the least from human intervention. There you can enjoy flora and fauna in their natural state and it is possible to observe species of parrots and macaws, which are hardly seen around Lake Limoncocha.

LAKE YANACOCHA: It is a blackwater lake with great biological diversity. It is located on the drainage of Lake Limoncocha towards the Capucuy River. It is almost impenetrable place, since it is covered with dense vegetation and swampy areas. It is believed that many anacondas live in this sector and that it is the favorable place for alligators to have their nests. Ethnobotanical trail: This self-guided 2 km trail located on the southeast side of Lake Limoncocha. The vegetation It corresponds to a mature secondary forest and the trees and shrubs on the trail are marked. Limoncocha Interpretation Center: It is located at about 500 m from the lake. The surrounding area has infrastructure to receive small groups of visitors, motorized canoes, and a trail that leads to the lake.

It is an interesting place due to the amount of multicultural elements that can be found, especially at fairs. Archaeological Museum of Pompeii (cIcame): Located on the island of Pompeii, the CICAME Museum brings together the largest and most important collection of funerary pottery belonging to the Napo Phase (1188-1480 AD), as well as many other pieces from different indigenous cultures of the area. For its access you travel through the Napo River from Coca (one hour downstream) or go by car.  It is located in Limoncocha, in the old center of the Summer Linguist Institute. It is an important research site, which focuses on the study of the impacts caused to the area by oil and anthropic activities, among others. Archaeological remains belonging to the Napo Phase have been found. At the time these inhabitants were part of a bellicose, expansionist society, skillful in the cultivation of roots or seeds, and great fishermen (Cabodevilla 1998). The area of ​​influence of the reserve is currently occupied by Quichuas. Amazonian Quichua. The entry of oil companies, have caused a gradual change in their habits and way of life. The communities practice farm agriculture with basic foods such as plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes, rice and cane. of sugar These indians used to supplied theire crops with bush meat, but the disappearance of game species made them them raise chickens and pigs. However, fishing, hunting and gathering were important activities within their culture. The communities located in the buffer zone of the Reserve are Limoncocha, Santa Elena, Jivino, Itaya, Pompeya and Indillama, with approximately 600 people .

Hydrology

The hydrology of the protected area is linked to the Napo River. The Napo, River, the largest riven in Ecuador, originates in the Andes Mountains and drains an area of ​​44,695 km2 (Younes 2006). The reserve has 213 ha of surface water, with a maximum depth of 3.10 m. Lake Limoncocha, which gives its name to the Reserve, along with other important rivers such as Capucuy, Itaya, Jivino and Indillana (Lasso 1998a). The reserve is located, for the most part, within the River Basin.  The Capucuy, Jivino and Indillana Rivers flow towards the Napo (upstream) when it floods the area; while the Jivino and Itaya drain also a large area in the north of the Reserve. The Limoncocha and Yanacocha lakes and adjacent wetlands are both dead arms of the Napo River. Its basin is one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River and transports large amounts of sediment from the mountains. The Napo annually floods the adjacent lands, producing that the north bank of the river recede 14 m per year, which will be able to cause Lake Limoncocha to become an active branch of the Napo River in about 50 years.

Gazetted

September 23, 1985 Under Ministerial decree No 394 REGISTRO OFICIAL October 1, 1985 R. O. No 283 Area 4 613 ha Elevation 230 msnm

Climate

Flora and Fauna

FLORA

Throughout the year, the reserve enjoys constant sunshine; atmospheric humidity greater than 80%, although on clear and sunny days, humidity can drop to 50%, while the temperature rises up to 30 degrees C. Under those conditions, the leaves of the canopy may be subjected to extreme drought the day, so they have developed several defense mechanisms against desiccation, such as: leaves with coarser cutulas, hair-like structures or associations with mosses and epiphytes; which varies from vegetation characteristic canopy in the Amazon. In the lower strata, the plants enjoy a much cooler climate, more homogeneous, without the direct impact of the sun, nor oscillations of temperature; this peculiarity causes a rapid decomposition of plant material deposited in the soil, whose nutrients are immediately reused by the vegetation. Amazon.

Trees of Limoncocha

As for the primary vegetation, in the Limoncocha Biological Reserve there are tree species similar to those that exist in the neighboring areas of Cuyabeno and Yasuni. Palms such as chambira (Astrocaryum urostachys) and ungurahua (Oenocarpus bataua) stand out; in addition there are, timber trees, epitatus, bromeliads, orchids, mosses and lianas. The vegetation de igapó swam forest has been identified south of Lake Limoncocha and in Lake Yanacocha. In this area, a species of palm, known as chontilla (Bactris sp.) dominates, and associated with it is the macrolobium tree (Macrolobium sp.). In the shrubby swamps, the morete (Mauritia flexuosa) dominates, another species of palm, which are found mainly in the extreme south of the Reserve, and cover permanently flooded areas. Next to these palms, grows a vine known as the gato (Uncaria tomentosa), highly appreciated for its medicinal benefits; Further there is the balsa tree (Ochroma pyramidale), with wood suitable for manufacturing. In the mature secondary forest, the ceibo tree (Ceiba pentandra) and the highly prized cedro tree (Cedrela odorata) are found, together with the guarumo tree (Cecropia marginalis, C. herthae), a species of tree  used by birds and sloths when it blooms.

Valencia et al. (2000) identified 9 endemic species of trees: Trigynaea triplinervis, Unonopsis magnifolia (Annonaceae); Astrocaryum urostachys (Arecaceae), Pourouma petiolulata (Cecropiaceae), Senna trolliifiora (Fabaceae), Dicranopygium euryphyllum (Cyclanthaceae), Nectandra canaliculata (Lauraceae), Calathea ecuadoriana (Marantaceae), Maxillaria neillii (Orchidaceae).

Fauna

In general, the Amazonian fauna in the Reserve presents a high level of biodiversity, but with a low population density. The fauna present in the area corresponds to 53 species of mammals, 144 birds, 92 amphibians and reptiles, and 93 fish (Gomez 2006; Younes 2006).

Mammals

The surroundings of Yanacocha are considered a natural refuge for large mammals such as tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), deer (Mazama americana), and monkeys (Callithrix pygmaea, Alouatta seniculus), among others. The bats Artibeus jamaicensis, A. lituratus and Rhinophylla pumilio are the most common, followed by rodents such as the black agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa), Proechimys sp. and carnivores such as the jaguar (Panthera onca) and the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis); (Thurber and Perez 2006).

Some of the more impressive mammals.

Birds

The reserve has been popular among birdwatches, due to the abundance of birds and the possibilities offered by the Reserve to observe birds rather closely and in a natural environment. Common bird the kingfisher, garrapateros, herons, hoatzins, parakeets, parrots and macaws. Also, there are vultures with red and yellow heads. The Tyrannidae family is the best represented in terms of number of species, followed by Thamnophilidae, Icteridae, Psittacidae, Dendrocolaptidae and Thraupidae (Thurber and Perez 2006). Two species threatened with extinction were recorded in the area in the IUCN threatened categories: the screaming unicorn (Anhima cornuta), the black crabeater hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus); and the Ecuadorian cacique (Cacicus sclateri), the latter as the only endemic bird of the Reserve (Thurber and Perez 2006).

Some of the more impressive birds.

Some of the more impressive birds.

Amphibians and Reptiles

The herpetofauna of the place is no exception in terms of its diversity. In the Reserve, 92 species of amphibians and reptiles were registered, equivalent to 11% of the country's herpetofauna. (Thurber and Perez 2006). The amphibians correspond to frogs, toads and salamanders; with 6 families, 22 genera and 53 species. The records in the reserve indicate the presence of: Chaunus marinus and Rhaebo glaberrimus (Bufonidae); Osteocephalus, Phyllomedusa, Scinax and Nyctimantis (Hylidae); Eleutherodactylus (Brachycephalidae), Leptodactylus, Edalorhina (Leptodactylidae); Chiasmocleis and Hamptophryne boliviana (Microhylidae), among others (Thurber and Perez 2006). Reptiles (lizards, blind shingles, alligators, snakes, and turtles) are represented in 14 families, 28 genera and 39 species . The Caimans (Caiman crocodilus, Melanosuchus niger), the anacondas (Eunectes murinus) and the boas (Boa ssp) are characteristic in the area. The large charapa (Podocnemis expansa) presents a category of threat by the excess colection of their eggs; while the little charapa (Podocnemis unifilis) is classified under low risk status (Younes 2006).

Fishes

The ichthyofauna in the Reserve includes 93 species, equivalent to 15% of the total diversity (600 species) of the Amazon Region. A high relative abundance of commercial species such as the croaker (Plagoscion squamosisimus), the bocachico (Prochilodus nigricans), the tucunari (Cichla ocellaris), among others, denotes the fish potential Lake Limoncocha.

Arthropods

Thousands of species of insects and other arthropods call Limoncocha home.

LIMONCOCHA BIOLOGICAL RESERVE

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