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Yasuni National Park Facts

Yasuni National Park Facts
Yasuni National Park is a 9,820 square kilometer park located in Ecuador's Napo and Pastaza provinces. Yasuni National Park is considered by many to be the world's most biologically diverse region with world record number of a variety of species. The park's land lies within the territory claimed by the indigenous Huaorani people and there are two tribes within the park that are uncontacted (remains isolated from the outside world) including the Taromenane and Tagaeri people. The national park was created in 1979 and in 1989 UNESCO designated the region a Biosphere Reserve. Worldwide financial support has been requested to protect the park from oil drilling - to reduce the need for Ecuador to drill in the park for economic reasons. The funding fell short however and drilling was approved in 2013 in certain areas of the park.
Interesting Yasuni National Park Facts:
Yasuni National Park is located in Ecuador's Amazon basin. It lies below the equator and is shadowed by the Andes Mountains.
The biodiversity of the park is so large that there are millions of species of mammals, birds, insects, plants, and trees within its boundaries and only a small percentage of the park has even been studied.
There is debate as to why it is so biologically diverse. Some think it is because of the amount of rainfall while others believe it may be because the temperature does not vary by much.
Yasuni National Park is located in a unique position that may account for its biodiversity. It is located close to the equator, situated at the base of the Andes Mountains, and runs along the Amazon.
Threats to the park include illegal logging, poaching, and the 1937 discovery of the oil beneath the rich soil of the region.
When pledges were being made to stop oil drilling in the park after the 2007 Yasuni-ITT Initiative was launched several celebrities and public figures pledged support including Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore, Edward Norton, and Michael Charles Tobias.
There are 150 species of amphibians found in Yasuni National Park, as well as 121 reptile species, 382 known fish species, 596 species of birds, 300 mammal species, 117 bat species, and over 100,000 insect species.
Osteocephalus Yasuni is the name of a tree frog species that was named after the park.
Wildlife in Yasuni National Park includes jaguars, caimans, toucans, macaws, monkeys, turtles, marmosets, and many, many more.
There are anacondas in Yasuni National Park as well as piranhas in its waters.
Because of the hundreds of species of birds Yasuni is considered to be birdwatchers paradise.
Visitors to Yasuni National Park can enjoy wildlife viewing, birdwatching, guided tours, stay in a lodge and take jungle expeditions, take photographs, take canoe expeditions, and even engage with some of the indigenous peoples in the region.
There are an estimated 800 million barrels of oil located under Yasuni National Park's surface. This is equal to roughly 20% of the country's reserves. Efforts to raise the money needed to protect the reserves without harming Ecuador's economy have not been sufficient.


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