Yasuní National Park

Yasuní National Park

The Yasuní National Park is a protected area of approximately 10,000 square kilometers located between the Napo and Curaray Rivers in the provinces of Pastaza and Orellana in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Located within the Napo moist forest ecoregion, it is mainly rainforest, about 250 km from Quito. Together with the adjacent Waorani Ethnic Reserve, it was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1989. A convergence point for three unique regions, the Equator, the Andes, and the Amazon Rainforest, the park is arguably the most biologically diverse place on Earth. The park is located at the center of a small zone in which the diversity of amphibians, birds, mammals, and vascular plants is at its highest level in the Western Hemisphere. In addition, the park breaks world records for species richness at the local scale for trees, amphibians, and bats, and is one of the richest places in the world for birds and mammals at the local scale as well. In addition, at least 596 species of birds live in Yasuní, representing one third of the total number of birds native to the Amazon. Bat species are also abundant in the park. Regionally, the Amazon Basin has an estimated 117 bat species, but locally, Yasuní is estimated to have comparable richness. Many species of water, land and air mammals live in the National Park. The Giant Otter is an endangered species that is endemic to the rivers in and around the park. The area is home to a wide variety of bird species, including several raptors such as falcons, hawks, and eagles, and birds such as macaws, manakins and thrushes.