Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park
PNN Bahía Portete – Kaurrele
Bahía Hondita, close to the park
Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park Location in Colombia
Location	Colombia
Nearest city	Uribia
Area	14,080 ha (54.4 sq mi)
Designation	National Natural Park
Established	20 December 2014
Administrator	SINAP

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park (Spanish: PNN Bahía Portete – Kaurrele) is a national natural park in Uribia, La Guajira, Colombia. The northernmost national park of mainland South America is located at the Caribbean coast of the La Guajira peninsula in Bahía Portete, between Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas. Established on December 20, 2014, it is the most recently designated national park of the country. As of 2017, 59 nationally defined protected areas are incorporated in Colombia. The park hosts a high number of marine and terrestrial species.

Description
- Biodiversity
  - Fauna
  - Flora
Other protected areas in La Guajira
Gallery
See also

Description

Bahía Portete Park is located in the northern part of the municipality Uribia

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park, with an area of 14,080 hectares (34,800 acres), is located in the extreme north of Colombia, at the northern coast of La Guajira peninsula between Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas, Colombia's mainland northernmost point. The park is within the boundaries of the municipality Uribia. The climate is hot and arid, due to the desert of La Guajira. Average temperatures range between 28 and 30 °C (82 and 86 °F). The coastal area is characterised by humidity caused by the inland winds. The marine bay area has an average depth of 9 metres (30 ft), ranging from 3 to 20 metres (9.8 to 65.6 ft).

At the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century, the bay was known as El Portichuelo, an area where slaves were brought into Colonial Colombia. The sparsely populated area is inhabited by approximately 500 indigenous Wayuu. On April 18, 2004, approximately forty paramilitaries tortured and assassinated six people, four of which were women. They burned various houses and dishonoured their cemeteries. More than 600 Wayuu fled to Venezuela.

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park was designated number 59 of the National Natural Parks of Colombia to protect the marine and littoral ecosystems of the La Guajira peninsula on December 20, 2014. The declaration of the park as a protected area was initiated in 2003. The indigenous communities of the Wayuu, Kamushiwoü, Alijunao, Yariwanischi, Puerto Portete, Ian, Youlepa, Kayuuswaarraaloü and Punta Cosos Espacios contributed in the planning of the establishment of the protected area. At the declaration of the park, president of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos said "Biodiversity is to Colombia, what oil is for the Arabs". Mining and industrial fishing are prohibited.

Biodiversity

Crested caracara in La Guajira desert

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele Park comprises 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, relatively few mammals and marine fauna of 217 species have been registered in Bahía Portete. The biodiversity of the park is rich in various other species.

Fauna

Name	Species	Image
nine-banded armadillo	Dasypus novemcinctus
southern long-nosed bat	Leptonycteris curasoae
red-tailed squirrel	Sciurus granatensis splendidus
crab-eating fox	Cerdocyon thous aquilus
white-lipped peccary	Tayassu pecari
brown hairy dwarf porcupine	Coendou vestitus
American crocodile	Crocodylus acutus
green iguana	Iguana iguana
rainbow whiptail	Cnemidophorus lemniscatus
brown vine snake	Oxybelis aeneus
South American rattlesnake	Crotalus durissus
green sea turtle	Chelonia mydas
loggerhead	Caretta caretta
hawksbill sea turtle	Eretmochelys imbricata
leatherback sea turtle	Dermochelys coriacea
olive ridley sea turtle	Lepidochelys olivacea
	Mastigodryas pleei
	Phimophis guianensis
Rivero's toad	Bufo granulosus humboldti
Guayaquil dwarf frog	Physalaemus pustulosos
American flamingo	Phoenicopterus ruber
anhinga	Anhinga anhinga
bicolored conebill	Conirostrum bicolor
brown pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis
cocoi heron	Ardea cocoi
Crested caracara	Caracara plancus
magnificent frigatebird	Fregata magnificens
maguari stork	Euxenura maguari
Neotropic cormorant	Phalacrocorax brasilianus
roseate spoonbill	Platalea ajaja
scarlet ibis	Eudocimus ruber
American white ibis	Eudocimus albus
American yellow warbler	Dendroica petechia chrysendeta
Wilson's plover	Charadrius wilsonia
slender seahorse	Hippocampus reidi
common snook	Centropomus undecimalis
hogfish	Lachnolaimus maximus
striped mojarra	Eugerres plumieri
cubera snapper	Lutjanus cyanopterus
lane snapper	Lutjanus synagris
mutton snapper	Lutjanus analis
red porgy	Pagrus pagrus
itajara	Epinephelus itajara
Nassau grouper	Epinephelus striatus
rainbow parrotfish	Scarus guacamaia
Atlantic tarpon	Tarpon atlanticus
Atlantic wreckfish	Polyprion americanus
bonefish	Albula vulpes
Tayrona blenny	Emblemariopsis tayrona
Lebranche mullet	Mugil liza
Cotuero toadfish	Batrachoides manglae
crucifix sea catfish	Arius proops
Jenny mojarra	Eucinostomus gula
blue land crab	Cardisoma guanhumi
Caribbean spiny lobster	Panulirus argus
Atlantic seabob	Xiphopenaeus kroyeri
queen conch	Strombus gigas
mouse cowry	Muracypraea mus
Atlantic triton	Charonia variegata
magpie shell	Cittarium pica
	Cassis madagascariensis
	Haematopus palliatus
	Penaeus notialis
	Anachis coseli
	Ancilla glabrata
	Carpilus carallinus
	Cassis flamea
	Litopenaeus schmitti
	Penaeus brasiliensis
	Penaeus schmitti
red cushion sea star	Oreaster reticulatus
spiny flower coral	Mussa angulosa
elkhorn coral	Acropora palmata
staghorn coral	Acropora cervicornis
blushing star coral	Stephanocoenia intersepta

Flora

The coastal Bahía Portete Park is richer in flora than the surrounding desert. Common land plants are the cactus Opuntia wentiana and the mangrove tree Avicennia germinans. Meadows of sea grasses of Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium are widely distributed in the marine portion of the park.