Amazon Rainforest

Tambopata features a high diversity of natural habitats, and therefore an incredible number of species are represented. In the Andes, there are many endangered species, and this is true in the protected area as well. The protected area concentrates rich biodiversity for several groups of organisms. The protected area features common species and concentrates an abundant biological diversity in several groups of organisms. The Tambopata River watershed is considered to be one of the world's richest ecosystems in terms of biodiversity. A sign of this vast abundance is the fact that in an area of just 550 square meters, researchers have found 91 species of mammals, 570 birds, 127 reptiles and amphibians, and 94 fish, among others.

The Tambopata River in Madre de Dios close to the foothills of Puno is riddled with clusters of bamboo, home to a variety of species of birds and land mammals. The area features mature flooded forest and jungle typical of the lower cloud forest. Vegetation in the national reserve is fairly typical of the Amazon Basin. The Heath River and surrounding plains are a truly unique ecosystem in Peru. The pampas are pastures that are periodically flooded, and small tree groves with varied plant life grow in isolated clusters on the plain.

Scientists have discovered in the protected area large numbers of species that are now rarely encountered elsewhere in the Amazon due to poaching, particularly spider monkeys and tapirs, but also the white-lipped peccary, jaguars, medium-sized to large monkeys, and caiman. The rivers are teeming with giant river otters. Within the reserve, the lower elevation zone is populated mostly by Amazonian birds, the ones that are at or near their upper elevation limits, and by species that are limited (or partially limited) to the narrow band of rainforest found on the lower slopes of the Andean mountains. Because of the increasing deforestation rate along this border and in other parts of the Andes, this ecosystem is one of the most threatened in all of South America.

Three-toed sloths, more species of monkeys than you can count, pumas, jaguars, giant river otters, black caimans, and capybaras are among the most well know Peruvian jungle animal residents. Some animal species have unique habitats in limited areas of the jungle. For example, the Tambopata region near Puerto Maldonado is well known for the world’s largest clay licks which attract hundreds of red-and-green macaws and other species of birds.

Located at the convergence of Rio Madre de Dios and the Tambopata, Puerto Maldonado is the largest city in the southern Peruvian jungle. In the 21st century, the area has become a popular haven for nature lovers, offering exotic rainforest accommodations, jungle tours, and access to protected wildlife sanctuaries. Today, the driving economic industries of the region include Brazil nut cultivation, logging, hunting, and tourism. However, gold mining is unfortunately the most profitable activity and also the most destructive. These industries are the economic lifeblood of the region, but large profits come at the expense of the environment and the irreversible depletion of the jungle’s resources. Puerto Maldonado is also an important international river port, creating an economic hub between Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The recent construction of the Transoceanic Highway and discussions of its expansion has surfaced as a controversial topic.

Is a 3.8 million-acre protected area of the southern rainforest around the size of the state of Connecticut in the United States. It is home to the world’s largest parrot and macaw clay lick, where hundreds of colorful tropical birds, as well as many species of mammals, come to consume clay and other minerals from a 165-foot-high ridge stretching 1,640 feet along the bank of the Tambopata River. A popular attraction in the Tambopata jungle region, the clay lick is most easily accessible from the Tambopata Research Center, located about 500 meters (1,640 feet) away. Today, visitors to Tambopata National Reserve are only permitted to enter the park with an authorized guide. Inside the park, a wide array of activities and excursions are available, such as boating, bird watching, night treks to see caimans and nocturnal wildlife, and tours of the beautiful oxbow lakes nearby.