The Yasuni National Park is a rainforest in Ecuador with a population of indigenous people. The park lies in between the Napo and Curaray rivers in Napo and Pastaza Provinces, 250 km from Quito.
It occupies an area of 9,820 square kilometers. The region is among the most biologically diverse in the world.
Many types of animals and insects live within the national park, including a species of Giant Otter, a species of bat, and several species of monkey.
The park also hosts a variety of rare species, including an Eastern Ecuadorian Squirrel, Brown Woolly Monkey, and White-Bellied Spider Monkey.
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Yasuni National Park Facts for Kids
- In 1979 the park was declared a national park,
- In 1989 UNESCO designated it a Biosphere Reserve.
- Natural vegetation covers 95% of the national park.
- The area receives an average rainfall of 260 mm per month.
- This park is home to the Waorani people, an indigenous community.
Biodiversity
Yasuni National Park has the most biological diversity on Earth
The park is in the heart of a region where amphibian, bird, mammal, and vascular plant diversity are at their highest levels in the western hemisphere.
The park breaks world records in tree, amphibian, and bat species richness and is one of the richest spots for birds and mammals in the world.
Compared to other sites in the Western Amazon, the park harbors a lot of amphibian diversity.
There are 121 reptile species documented in the park. Yasuni accounts for one-third of the amphibian and reptile species in the Amazon Basin, despite covering less than 0.1%.
It also has high levels of fish diversity, with 382 species known.
Yasuni is also home to at least 596 species of birds, one-third of the Amazon’s total bird population.
Bats can also be found in the park. Yasuni is estimated to have a comparable richness of bat species to the Amazon Basin on a regional scale.
There is roughly the same number of insect species in a single hectare of Yasuni as in all of North America.
There are also many vascular plants in the park. Over 4,000 vascular plant species per 10,000 square kilometers are found there.
Animals in The Park
Despite covering only 0.15% of the Amazon Basin, Yasuni is home to 150 amphibian species and reptile species, including the treefrog Osteocephalus Yasuni.
The park harbors a high level of fish diversity, boasting 500 species that are not easily seen morphologically and revealed using DNA studies. You can even find piranhas in its waters.
Yasuni is also home to at least 596 bird species, most of which are predatory birds. The diverse levels of canopy available support many different lifestyles for birds. It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise with such a wide range of habitats.
Yasuni also boasts a huge diversity of bats, with over 100 species being documented in the park. There are two species of
There is a very high level of insect diversity in this national park. Yasuni has over 100,000 different species of insects on a single hectare, roughly the number of species in all of North America.
Plants in The Park
The Yasuni region is rich in plant diversity, with several world records for documented tree and liana richness and several worlds records for diversity in woody plant species.
Oil in The Park
Yasuni National Park contains an estimated 800 million barrels of oil
President Rafael Correa launched an initiative in 2007 to protect Yasuni National Park’s natural resources in exchange for compensation from the international community. In exchange for leaving the park undisturbed, the government hoped to generate funds of at least US$3.6 billion over 12 years.
Actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Charles Tobias, and former Vice President of the United States Al Gore made pledges to the Ecuadorian government.
