Noel Kempff Mercado National Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Noel Kempff Mercado National Park |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
Location in Bolivia
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| Location | Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia |
| Area | 15,523 km2 |
| Established | June 28, 1979 |
| Type: | Natural |
| Criteria: | ix, x |
| Designated: | 2000 (24th session) |
| Reference #: | 967 |
| Region: | Latin America and the Caribbean |
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is a huge national park in the northeast part of Bolivia. It's located in the Santa Cruz Department, right next to the border with Brazil. This amazing park was created on June 28, 1979, and covers a massive area of about 15,523 square kilometers. That's bigger than some countries!
In 2000, UNESCO recognized Noel Kempff Mercado National Park as a World Heritage Site. This means it's considered super important for everyone in the world to protect. It's special because it has many different types of natural areas and is home to a huge variety of plants and animals, including some that are globally endangered.
Contents
Exploring the Park's Habitats
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is like a giant natural puzzle made of different landscapes. It covers over 1.5 million hectares. A big part of it is the Huanchaca Plateau, which is a huge, flat-topped mountain area. This plateau alone is 42,000 hectares and has one of the largest untouched areas of cerrado in the world.
What is Cerrado?
The cerrado is a type of dry forest and savanna. It's a special kind of grassland with scattered trees and shrubs. The park is located where the Amazon rainforest meets the cerrado, creating a mix of different environments.
Diverse Ecosystems
Inside the park, you can find many different habitats. These include tall evergreen forests, forests that lose their leaves (deciduous forests), savanna grasslands, and wetlands. The Iténez River forms the park's eastern and northern border, separating it from Brazil. Right next door in Brazil is the Serra Ricardo Franco State Park, making this a huge protected area across two countries.
A Look Back in Time: Park History
The area of the national park has a fascinating past. In 1908, an explorer named Percy Fawcett explored this region while surveying for the Bolivian government.
The Lost World Connection
When Fawcett returned to London, he showed photographs of the area to the famous writer Arthur Conan Doyle. These pictures sparked Doyle's imagination and inspired him to write his well-known novel, The Lost World. Imagine a place so wild and amazing it could inspire such a story!
Becoming a World Heritage Site
The park was first named Parque Nacional Huanchaca when it was founded in 1979. Later, it was renamed Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. As mentioned, UNESCO recognized it as a World Heritage Site in 2000. This honor highlights its incredible biodiversity and the importance of protecting its many different habitats and the rare animals living there.
Park Climate and Weather
The climate in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park changes with the seasons. On average, the park gets about 1,500 millimeters of rain each year.
Rainy and Dry Seasons
The park has a dry season that lasts for about four months, from June to September. During this time, there's very little rain. Most of the rain falls during the austral summer, which is when the southern hemisphere has its summer. This rain comes from big storm clouds that form over the Amazon basin.
Temperatures in the Park
The average yearly temperature in the park is around 25-26 degrees Celsius (77-79 degrees Fahrenheit). However, during the dry season, cold, dry air from Patagonia (called surazos) can reach the area. When this happens, temperatures can drop to about 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) for several days.
The Park's Geology and Landforms
The park is dominated by a huge flat-topped mountain called a tableland. This tableland covers about 7,000 square kilometers. The Bolivian side is known as Serrania Huanchaca, and the Brazilian side is Sererania Ricardo Franco. The Rio Verde river marks the border between the two countries.
Towering Cliffs and Ancient Rocks
The tableland is surrounded by steep cliffs that are between 200 and 700 meters high. The rocks that make up this tableland are very old sandstone, formed about 1 billion years ago. Beneath these rocks are even older granites and metamorphic rocks. The Huanchaca Plateau within the park is generally 600–900 meters above sea level. It's made of very old sandstone and quartzite.
Waterfalls of the Plateau
The cliffs of the Huanchaca Plateau are truly impressive. They rise up to 300 meters (about 984 feet) tall in some places. Because of these high cliffs, many beautiful waterfalls have formed. Some of the famous ones include:
- The Arcoiris Falls, which drop about 88 meters (289 feet).
- The Frederico Ahlfeld Falls, which are between 25 and 45 meters (82-148 feet) tall.
- The El Encanto Falls, which plunge about 80 meters (262 feet).
Park Soils
The type of soil in the park varies a lot. Where the soil is deep and full of nutrients on the Plateau, you'll find patches of evergreen forest. However, where the rocks are heavily weathered sandstone with only a thin layer of soil, open savannas grow. The lower plains to the west of the park have wet rainforests, which then change into dry forests as you move south.
Amazing Plant Life (Flora)
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is a paradise for plants! Experts believe the park is home to about 4,000 different types of vascular plants. These are plants that have special tissues to carry water and nutrients, like trees, flowers, and ferns.
A Mix of Plant Habitats
The park has a huge variety of plant habitats, including:
- Tall evergreen rainforests
- Forests along rivers (gallery forests)
- Forests that lose some leaves (semi-deciduous tropical forests)
- Forests dominated by climbing plants (lianas)
- Palm tree swamps
- Flooded savannas
- And the cerrado dry forests
So far, scientists have identified 2,705 different plant species in the park. Because there are so many different habitats, these plants are found in various sections. For example, 1,500 species live in moist forests, 800 in the cerrado, and 700 in dry forests. There are still about 6,000 more plant species being studied!
Most Diverse Plant Families
The most diverse plant family in the park is the Fabaceae family, which includes peas and beans. You can find plants from this family in almost all parts of the park. Other plant families that do well in all habitats include the Rubiaceae (like coffee plants) and the Melastomataceae. Some families prefer specific habitats, like the Gramineae (grasses) in the cerrado.
Incredible Animal Life (Fauna)
The animal life in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is just as amazing as its plants! The park is home to a huge number of different animals.
Mammals of the Park
At least 139 different types of mammals live here. You might spot otters, river dolphins, tapirs, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, giant armadillos, giant anteaters, and even pumas! Many of these mammals live in the humid forest areas. Some large animals found here are listed in the Red Book of Bolivian Vertebrates, which means they are important to protect. These include the Pampas deer, marsh deer, maned wolf, greater rhea, and the giant anteater.
Birds, Reptiles, and Amphibians
The park is especially famous for its birds, with 620 different species identified! This makes it one of the most diverse places for birds in the Americas. You can find nine different types of macaws and 20 types of parrots here.
There are also about 74 species of reptiles and 62 species of amphibians known in the park. Reptiles include large snakes like the green anaconda and yellow anaconda, and different types of caimans like the yacare caiman and black caiman. You can also find various turtles, such as the yellow-spotted river turtle and the red-footed tortoise.
See also
In Spanish: Parque nacional Noel Kempff Mercado para niños
- List of national parks of Bolivia
