Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia

Overview:

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is located in the extreme northeast of the Department of Santa Cruz, bordering Brazil. This picturesque park contains an interesting variety of plants and animals and, with as many as 700 species of birds, is a paradise for naturalists and bird watchers. However, the Park is best known for the waterfalls that pour over the ancient Caparuch Mesa.

Partner Organization:

Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN), founded in 1988, is a private, non-profit organization based in Santa Cruz that supports the management of Noel Kempff. FAN works in cooperation with the National Protected Areas Service, and has been granted a ten-year management contract for the Park. FAN hires rangers, builds infrastructure, plays a major role in reducing poaching, and hopes to increase tourism.

Physical Setting:

Noel Kempff is located in the northeastern sector of the Santa Cruz Department on the border with Brazil. The area forms part of the Cristalino Chiquitano complex, arising from the Brazilian Shield, where influences of distinct regions converge; Amazonia from the north, the Chaco region from the south, Brazilian grasslands (cerrado) from the east, and Andean highlands further west.

Vegetation types within the Park include tropical evergreen rainforest, gallery forest, subtropical thorn scrub of the Gran Chaco, savannah wetlands, and seasonal forests and dry savannahs, or cerrado. The Park is unique from a biogeographical standpoint in that it contains key habitat transition zones bridging the drier ecological communities of the Gran Chaco and cerrado to the south and west, respectively, with the rich, wet Amazon Basin a short distance to the north. The most outstanding physical feature of the Park is the Caparuch Mesa, a Precambrian sandstone escarpment that is one of the highest points in the region, rising to nearly 3,000 feet (914 m) above sea level and dropping to about 2,000 feet (610 m) over the surrounding plains. This formation, framed by a rugged backdrop of mesas, rivers, dense forests, and spectacular waterfalls, has created diverse habitats for a variety of plants and animals.

Climate:

Annual rainfall in Noel Kempff is approximately 50-65 inches (1,200-1,600 mm), and the temperature ranges from 59-96F (15-35C). The Park is classified as subtropical moist forest according to Holdridge (1967); however, wide site-specific variation occurs accentuating wetness or dryness.

Biological Significance:

Recent biological inventories indicate a rich fauna, including such species as the South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris), capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris), jaguar (Panthera onca), spider monkey (Ateles paniscus), howler monkey (Alouatta caraya), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), bush dog (Speothos venaticus), giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), and a number of small felids. The Park also overlaps, to some degree, the ranges of the ñandu (Rhea americana), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus). Estimates reach as high as 700 species of resident ad migratory birds, including a multitude of passarines, psittacines, raptors, and at least seven cracid species, which includes curassows, guans, and chachalacas.

Along the Pauserna and Verde rivers, one can observe giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) and river otters (Lutra longicaudis), and along the Itenez River, river dolphins (Inia geofrensis), yacare caiman (Caiman yacare), and black caiman (Melanosuchus niger). During the dry season, two different species of South American river turtles, the tracaya (Podocnemis unifilis) and tatruga (P. expansa), use the area as nesting grounds. Fish life in the area is also abundant, ranging from small ornamental fish to the huge piraiba (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum), a type of catfish, and other large fish of commercial value.

Although the flora has not yet been extensively investigated, it is known that the area is rich in economically important tree species, such as mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), roble (Amburana cearensis), cedar (Cedrela spp), paquio (Hymenaea stilbocarpa), serebo (Schizolobium sp), mara macho (Cariniana estrellensis), as well as various species of rubber and Brazil nut trees.

Land Tenure and Adjacent Land Use:

There is no private land within the Park. Seven small communities are located within or contiguous to Noel Kempff, but habitat alteration resulting from colonization, deforestation, cattle grazing, hunting, or other activities have been relatively low. FAN has worked with Brazilian authorities for potential cooperative activities through joint border patrols and scientific studies along the northern and eastern reaches of the Park and manages a community support program as well.

Community Involvement:

Approximately 10-15 local people have been employed as park rangers, cooks, laborers, and boat operators in Flor de Oro over the last few years. Also, the influx of ecotuorists into the camp has created some seasonal positions for guides, cooks, maids, and waiters. In response to increased visitation, FAN has proposed a program to develop and monitor these activities. FAN plans to define rules to develop ecotourism, as well as limitations on development to avoid overuse and resource degradation.

Increased Park staff contact with Brazilian communities surrounding the Park has produced positive results. Using non-confrontational techniques with local residents, rangers' relations with both Brazilian authorities and residents have improved through increased visits and informal environmental education programs (talks and slide shows on resource management, endangered species, and sustainable development practices).