Cutervo National Park, Peru

Cutervo National Park was established in 1961, and is Peru’s oldest protected area. Cutervo is in the Northwestern corner of Peru, in a region called Cajamarca. There are two sectors of Cutervo, a Northern and Southern, including a 19,426 hectare (194.26 km²) buffer zone around the park in order to mitigate threats and harm to the ecosystems within its borders. The Northern sector is 2,429.54 hectares (24.3 km²) and the Southern 5,785 hectares (57.85 km²), for a total protected area of 8,214.23 hectares (82.14 km²). Cutervo contains the crucial biomes of Andean montane forests and alpine tundra known as Andean Moorland, which are foundational to headwater conservation in the region. With an average rainfall of over 800 mm per year in Cutervo, sometimes up to 2,000 mm per year, the importance of protecting this place for watershed health was recognized by local authorities. In addition to these biomes, lowland tropical habitat provides for the abundant flora and fauna species in the Park. Elevations vary from 1550 to 3500 meters in Cutervo, with the highest point existing in the Cordillera de Tarros Mountains. The caves of these peaks are home to many species, including an endemic “oilbird” huácharos (or guacharos) and a rare fish species called bagre de las cavernas. Many endemic flora also exist in Cutervo’s montane biomes, as well as the lush tropical lowlands. Spectacled bears, pumas, jaguars and armadillos are a few of the many fauna species which inhabit the National Park. The Park is ~400 km from the coast and the current villages of La Capilla, San Andres de Cutervo, and La Flor to Cutervo are established nearby. There has been a strong human presence in and around Cutervo, for at least several hundred years and possibly millennia. There are archaeological remains inside the park, namely within the El Perolito site, and Indigenous history in the area certainly predates Columbus and European settlement. Presently, outdoor recreation is allowed in De Cutervo and mostly occurs between July and October. Hiking and camping are the most popular activities, with some of the many caves in the park also seeing visitors in the summer months. The Park is often under threat from clear-cutting by timber companies, wood extraction being one of the major issues in the conservation of Cutervo. People who want to have pastures for livestock in the area sometimes clear the forest as well. Since the Park was established in 1961, the boundaries have been expanded and these new boundaries have been contested or infringed upon by local inhabitants. Cutervo’s ecological integrity and ecosystem services were deemed in need of preservation by biologist Salomon Vilchez Murga, deputy of the Cajamarca region at the time of Cutervo’s establishment. Since then, the Park has been managed by the Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el estado (SERNANP). The National Park provides vital ecosystems for abundant plant and animal life, including several endemic species which are found nowhere else. The preservation of trees and plants in the park helps with global carbon storage and sequestration, a service that becomes increasingly important as more deforestation happens throughout South America and the world. The intrinsic value of leaving portions of the landscape undeveloped by humans is another priceless element of the beautiful Cutervo.