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CONVERSATION I

INDEX

DEDICATION.3

INTRODUCTION...4

TOPIC..5

THEORETICAL..6

CONCLUSION..14

REFERENCES..15

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DEDICATION

The present monograph is dedicated to my family

because they always are in the difficult moments and
they give me their support.
Also I dedicate this monograph to my colleagues, who
always supported me and helped in this basic course
of English.

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INTRODUCTION
The following monograph is about one of the most
beautiful places of the Peru, with a great diversity of
animals, plants, mountains, lakes and glaciers.
The preservation of the Huascaran National Park is
very important because there are some species in
danger of extinction, as well as the melting of the
glaciers that affects the entire ecosystem of the Peru
and the world.
It will then be released some important points on the
Huascarn National Park, the most interesting thing
that you should know.

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Huascarn National Park

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THEORETICAL

Huascarn National Park is a national park in the Cordillera Blanca, a

range of the Andes, in Ancash of central Peru. It was also pronounced
as Natural Heritage of Humanity and recognized as Reserve of
Biosphere Core. The highest mountain in Peru is located in the park
(also named Huascarn, reaching 6,768 meters high). This park is
home to many species of animals and plants, including Puya raimondi,
cougars, jaguars, vicunas, the Peruvian guemal, the Peruvian tapir,
and many species of birds.

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The Huascarn National Park (PNH) located in ncash department, is

the highest tropical mountain range in the world, stretching over
340,000 hectares. It is also one of the areas with the greatest biological
and cultural diversity in Peru. The Park was created in 1975 and
declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977. In 1985, it was
included on the UNESCO Natural Heritage of Humanity list.

The park holds close to 660 glaciers and 300 lagoons formed by
glaciers. It also boasts exceptional hydrological potential thanks to
snowy peaks that feed the Santa, Maran and Pativilca river basin.
The park is home of the highest mountain in Peru: Huascarn, at 6,768
meters above sea level, and Alpamayo, which stands at 5,947 meters
above sea level. There are also other snow-capped peaks measuring
between 5,000 - 6,768 meters above sea level attracting mountain
climbers from all over the world who come in search of their summits
and trekking paths. The park boasts close to 25 walking trails and 125
climbing paths, with different levels of difficulty.
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The Cordillera Blanca climate is determined by its relation between the

damp air that come from the Amazon basin to the East and the dry
desert air that come from the West; also by it is proximity to the
Equatorial line. The rainy season spans from October through March,
and the dry season, also known as the Andean summer spans from
April through September; during these months the weather is stable
with one or two bad days per week; in this months the most activities
like trekking and climbing take place. A typical day in the Andean
summer in the Cordillera Blanca, begins without clouds in the sky and
it becomes warm at the noon reaching 20 C at 4000m; but the
mornings and the afternoons are cold and falls below 0 C.
Generally the wind is not a problem in the Cordillera Blanca during the
Andean summer.

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Flora
According to Holdridge Life Zones, most of Huacarn National Park
corresponds to Very Humid Sub-Alpine Paramo, Pluvial Alpine Tundra,
and snow-covered Tundra, while Moist Montane Forests cover most
valleys and ravines. There are patches of Puya Raimondi in the park,
found mostly in Carpa and Queshque valleys. There are also relic
quisuar and queua forests. Riparian forests are located primarily
along the northern sector of Llanganuco. There are high Andean
grasslands and Puna grasslands. Oconales or bofedales (wetlands)
are located about 4,500 meters altitude. The area's seven life zones
harbor a wide spectrum of microclimates, which create a mosaic of
diverse, yet intimately related, vegetation types. 779 high Andean floral
species belonging to 340 genera and 104 families have been identified
in the park. Among this amazing floristic diversity, the Bromeliaceae
family is represented by the Puya Raimondi, which has the largest
inflorescence in the world. There are also relic forests and numerous
gramineae (grass) species that make up the Puna grasslands.

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Fauna
Associated with the park's vast floral diversity are numerous fauna
species, many of which have yet to be studied or registered. The few
existing studies have inventoried 112 bird species belonging to 33
families. Notable bird species include Andean condor, torrent duke and
Puna tinamou. More than ten mammal species belonging to eight
genera have been registered. The most notable mammals include
pampas cat and Andean cat, spectacled bear, Peruvian guemal or
Andean deer a ruminant whose antlers are bigger than the whitetail
deer, and vicua. Other important species include whitetail deer
(Odocoileus virginianus), Incan cougar (Puma concolor incarum),
culpeo, northern viscacha, long-tailed weasel, and hog-nosed skunks,
among others.

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Peaks
There are sixteen 6,000 m peaks in the Cordillera Blanca (inside the
Huascarn National Park) with a 400 m topographic prominence, and a
further seventeen peaks over 5,500 m. Huascaran Sur, the highest
peak, has two commonly quoted heights - 6,746 m, and 6,768 m.
The best known are:

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Huascarn 6768 m

Chopicalqui 6354 m

Huandoy 6395 m

Huastan 6369 m

Chac raraju 6108 m

Contrahierbas

6036 m

Artesonraju 6025 m

Alpamayo 5947 m

5760 m

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Pisco

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Glaciers
The estimated number of glaciers is 260 glaciers of the Cordillera
Blanca are very important to life in the valley of the Callejn de
Huaylas. They provide water for the irrigation of the puna grasslands
and keep the main Santa river drought free year round. They also
support the hydroelectric power station of Can Del Pato and form
many attractive lagoons. All are over 4000m above sea level, 185 on
the western slopes and 75 on the eastern.
As with all Andean glaciers, the Cordillera Blanca has witnessed a
major retreat of its during the 20th century due to global climate
change. Studies have shown a retreat of over 15% since the 1970s.
Some glaciers, such as the Broggi Glacier and Pastoruri Glacier, have
disappeared altogether, with many experts warning that all of the
glaciers may be gone within the coming decades.

The mountains Uqshapallqa (on the left) and Ranrapallqa, the Llaqa glacier and Llaqa Lake.

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Lakes
Paron Lake, the biggest in the Cordillera Blanca, is considered the
most beautiful of all glacial lakes. Located just north of the mountain
Tullparahu in Caraz, it has a deep turquoise blue.
Other famous lakes include the two Llanganuco Lakes: the greenturquoise Chinanqucha (Quechua for "female lake") and Urqunqucha
("male lake") in the Llanganuco valley. Located in the quenoa forests at
the foot of Huscarn, they are reachable via a 25 km gravel road off
the Callejn de Huaylas highway near the re-built town of Yungay.
The two lakes Ichikqucha and Hatunqucha lie beneath the snow peaks
of Artesonraju and Allpamayu. They are accessible only by trekking or
on horseback from Caraz.

Paron lake

Llanganuco lakes

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CONCLUSION

Huascarn National Park is an important natural reserve protected in

Peru. Because of its mountain biological diversity, well-conserved
forests, archeological complexes, and extraordinary landscape values,
it has been internationally recognized and named a Biosphere Reserve
and World Heritage Site.
Huascarn National Park extends 340,000 hectares in north-central
Peru, in the department of Ancash. The protected area's primary
objectives include conserving biological diversity, natural values,
spectacular landscape features, ecosystem qualities, and water
supplies for the region's development.
Huascarn National Park is subjected to a series of threats, including
loss of vegetative coverage, presence of livestock, tourism, mining
activities, illegal hunting, hydro power projects, management
limitations, and global warming that is causing reductions in glaciers.
Pasture burns that spread out of control into wildfires and
indiscriminately consume native vegetation and habitat are a leading
cause of vegetative coverage loss. Another important factor that
reduces forest coverage is firewood collection, followed by clearing for
agricultural purposes. Increased human populations inside of and
surrounding the park also cause loss of natural vegetation. Livestock
within the protected area further accelerate the problem.

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REFERENCES
http://www.cordillerablanca.info/weather-climate.php
http://www.cordillerablanca.info/weather-climate.php
http://www.peru.travel/what-to-do/Natural-Peru/protectednatural-areas/huascaran-national-park.aspx
http://www.parkswatch.org/parkprofile.php?
l=eng&country=per&park=hunp&page=inf
http://www.peaksperu.com/huascaran_park.html
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordillera_Blanca
Parque Nacional Huascarn- Jim Bartle, Lima 2004
El Comercio (Vamos) Jueves 24 de julio del 2014

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