Sajama National Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sajama National Park |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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| Location | Bolivia Oruro Department |
| Area | 1,002 km² |
| Established | 1939 |
| Governing body | Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas |
Sajama National Park is a special protected area in Bolivia, located in the Oruro Department. It shares a border with Lauca National Park in Chile. This park is home to the Aymara people, whose ancient culture is a big part of the area.
Sajama National Park is a great place for seeing nature and learning about culture. It has many unique plants and animals that live only here, making it super important to protect. The park is managed by both local people and conservationists who work together to keep it safe and beautiful.
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Discovering Sajama National Park's Past
Sajama National Park is Bolivia's oldest national park, created in 1939. It sits in a dry, high-altitude area called the Central Andean dry puna. The park offers amazing views of the Andes mountains, with heights from 4,200 to 6,542 meters (13,780 to 21,463 ft). It's home to the snowy volcano Sajama, which is the highest mountain in Bolivia. The park also includes the Payachata volcanic group.
The park was first protected because of a special tree called Queñoa De Altura (Polylepis tarapacana). This shrub-like tree grows on the hillsides and has learned to survive in the high, tough climate of the Andes. Back then, people were cutting down too many of these trees to make charcoal for mines. Protecting the area helped save these unique trees.
In 2003, Sajama National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. This means it's being considered for its important cultural and natural value to the whole world.
The Aymara People: Guardians of the Land
The Aymara people are native to the high plains of Bolivia and Peru. About a quarter of Bolivia's population is Aymara. Inside and near the park, there are hundreds of Aymara families. Many Aymara people herd llamas and alpacas and spin yarn from their wool. You can still see their traditional round houses today.
The Aymara also have a unique tradition of passing down old textiles (woven cloths) through generations as family treasures. Because the Aymara people depend so much on nature, they see themselves as protectors of the environment. For example, they have spoken out against things that might harm the land, like off-road races.
The Aymara people have often been overlooked throughout history. However, they have worked to gain more recognition. For instance, they have traditionally grown coca plants for centuries, using the leaves in traditional medicines and rituals. This traditional use is legal in Bolivia, but there have been discussions about it.
In 2006, Evo Morales, who was born into an Aymara family, became Bolivia's first indigenous president. In 2009, he helped create a new constitution. This new constitution says Bolivia is a country that respects all beliefs, not just one. It also gives more freedom to local communities, which helps groups like the Aymara.
Amazing Attractions in Sajama Park
Sajama National Park is full of natural and cultural wonders. You can find volcanoes, unique plants and animals, and warm thermal springs. There are also ancient burial buildings, old cave paintings, and beautiful colonial buildings and art.
The Queñoa (or keñua) forests on Sajama Mountain are some of the highest forests in the world. You can also visit many geysers and hot springs (called Aguas Termales), which are about an hour's walk from Sajama village.
This area also has the mysterious Sajama Lines. These lines cover the high plains and were etched into the ground thousands of years ago by the ancestors of the Aymara people. They are about 16,000 kilometers long and are thought to have been ancient paths for spiritual journeys.
The park is also dotted with cultural treasures from the Aymara's ancient past. You can see Chullpas, which are tall towers where noble Aymara families were buried. These shrines were placed in visible spots to remember the dead. You can also find Pucaras, which are old forts.
Wildlife of Sajama National Park
Sajama is home to special animals and plants that can survive in the high Andes. These creatures are adapted to high altitudes with less oxygen, cold nights, and dry conditions.
One unique animal is the vicuña. It's a type of camel, like a llama or alpaca. Vicuñas are famous for their super soft, warm, and light fur. Long ago, only Inca emperors were allowed to wear their wool. Local people still have many myths and rituals about the vicuña. These animals were once hunted almost to extinction for their valuable wool, but now they are protected, and their numbers are growing.
The park is also home to armadillos, viscachas, spectacled bears, Andean mountain cats, cougars, Andean condors, pink flamingos, coots (black ducks), hummingbirds, rheas, and many other amazing creatures.
Ecotourism: Exploring Responsibly
Ecotourism means traveling to enjoy nature in a way that protects the environment. It focuses on activities that don't harm the natural world. For a long time, not many tourists visited Sajama National Park because it's far from cities and doesn't have much infrastructure.
However, the park's management is now working to create ways for people to earn money sustainably. For example, the Tomarapi eco-lodge opened in 2003. It offers local food and lodging for thousands of visitors each year and is run entirely by Aymara villagers.
The climate in the Bolivian high plains is very dry and cold, making it hard to grow many crops. Only tough plants like quinoa can grow here. Because farming isn't easy, people in this region need other ways to make a living. Ecotourism can help natural places with weak economies and encourage people to protect the environment.
For ecotourism to work well, it needs to offer good opportunities for local people, respect their land rights, and focus on more than just money. The Aymara people and the park's management work together to plan and make decisions. This helps ensure that local voices are heard.
How Sajama National Park is Managed
Bolivian law says that protected areas are natural places kept safe by the government. This is to protect plants, animals, natural systems, and important cultural sites. Since people live in all protected areas in Bolivia, nature can only be conserved if local people agree. Their traditions and ways of life must be respected.
Sajama National Park is managed by both park officials and the local Aymara people. This teamwork with the Bolivian national parks authority (Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, SERNAP) started in 1998. Before that, the park didn't even have formal rangers until 1995, and there wasn't much communication between the Aymara and the park's early leaders.
Now, Sajama's management committee includes people from local communities, the local government, and different non-profit groups. This diverse group made detailed plans to meet their goals for both the economy and conservation. They believed success depended on three things: planning, participation, and projects.
Planning and discussing helped bring the different groups closer and build trust. When everyone's voices are heard, new ideas for managing and protecting the park can come up. This process helps increase trust among everyone who lives in the area. Projects aim to create income and offer sustainable ways to use the park's natural resources.
Besides ecotourism, there are also plans for managing the park's vicuñas sustainably. Vicuña fur is very valuable, but it grows slowly. By caring for the vicuñas, the Aymara deepen their connection to their environment and create a way to earn money. However, trading vicuña wool is strictly controlled.
Working together like this is very helpful, but it can also have challenges, like sometimes having unclear roles or communication issues.
Why Sajama National Park is Important
The icy top of Mount Sajama, Bolivia's highest point, has been important for science. In 1998, scientists took ice cores from the summit. These ice cores are like frozen records that show what the climate and atmosphere were like in South America long ago. This was the first time such information was found for a tropical area. The data from these cores showed an increase in certain heavy metals in the atmosphere, likely from human activities.
The Aymara people have lived in this region for a very long time and have a special connection with the park's environment. Some people wonder if protected areas might harm the lives and cultures of the local communities. However, studies in Bolivia have shown that protected areas have not made poverty worse. In fact, some studies suggest that communities near protected areas have seen more poverty reduction compared to similar communities not affected by them. This means Sajama National Park and its management committee might actually help the Aymara people by giving them power to protect their environment and its creatures.
See also
In Spanish: Parque nacional Sajama para niños
- Sajama Lines
- Waña Quta
- Constitution of Bolivia
- Ecotourism
Images for kids
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Queñoa trees located in Sajama National Park
