Manu National Park Zones

The Manu National Park is a research center and also a tourist destination in Peru, it is shared by two Peruvian regions: Cusco and Puerto Maldonado.

In this blog we will help you understand the history of this important area and its current division to better plan your visit.

Its total area occupies an area of 1 909 800 ha. This huge area is divided into three main zones intended for different purposes. First of all, we have the National Park itself, this area occupies most of the Reserve with 1,532,806 ha. Secondly, the Reserved Zone, which covers an area of 257,000 ha. Finally, the Cultural Zone has the remaining 120,000 hectares.

Legends indicate that the legendary Paititi or lost city of the Incas is hidden in this place. The reality is that the Park is located in the middle of two main tributaries of the Amazonian rivers, the Manu River and the Alto Madre de Dios River that range from 300 meters above sea level to 3800 meters above sea level.

History of Manu National Park

Inca-Colonial Period

The area of the Manu Park areas has a history marked by the arrival of foreigners, from the time of the Inca Empire when the Inca Pachacutec and Túpac Inca Yupanqui annexed this area to their empire, until the arrival of the Spaniards who, shortly after the invasion of Cusco, founded the town of Paucartambo.  where they established haciendas and encomiendas, and where King Carlos III of Spain also ordered the construction of a bridge to facilitate the trade of products from the area; this is how this valley began to supply Cusco with products such as coca, sugar, cotton, chili peppers, wood, among others.

In March 1567, the Spaniard Juan Álvarez Maldonado, in charge of the province of Mojos, undertook a 37-day journey to carry out the first expedition from Paucartambo to the current town of Pillcopata. In May of the same year, Manuel de Escobar mounted a second expedition that followed the course of the Alto Madre de Dios River to the Manu River.

They're Republican

In 1861, Colonel Faustino Maldonado undertook a new expedition from Paucartambo to the Madre de Dios River. It was in his honor that 30 years later, the rubber tapper Carlos Fitzcarrald would baptize the mouth of the Tambopata River as Puerto Maldonado, current capital of the department of Madre de Dios.

The extractive activities of the late nineteenth century affected the indigenous populations of the lowland forest. The exploitation of rubber marked the beginning of daring ventures, such as that of Fitzcarrald, one of the most famous rubber barons of his time. However, the Manu area was only partially exploited. Rubber activities ceased in the 1920s, when the resource, unable to recover from intensive exploitation and competition from the prosperous and less expensive crops of the Asian continent, began to decline.

Between the 1950s and 1960s, the construction of the last stretch of the road led to the extraction of cedar and mahogany wood, the work of haciendas and, later, the extraction of fine skins (jaguar, ocelot and river wolf). Among the most recent activities is oil exploration. Meanwhile, in the Andean zone, agricultural activities were affected by the agrarian reform initiated in 1969.

Religious expeditions

From the twentieth century onwards, the religious presence became more significant. In 1902 the Dominican Fathers founded their first mission in Asunción. In 1908 they established the second missionary post, San Luis del Manu, at the mouth of the Manu River. After leaving this post, they settled in the mission of Pantiacolla. A flood devastated the mission of Pantiacolla, so in 1958 they definitively located the mission in Shintuya.

The Manu Biosphere Reserve contains evidence of ancient cultures, such as the Pusharo petroglyphs, a set of engravings whose origin and meaning have not yet been explained. Father Vicente de Cenitagoya first reported these petroglyphs in 1921. They are located on the right bank of the Shinquivenia River, a tributary of the Palotoa River. The Reserve has other petroglyphs on the Queros River, specifically on the large rock "Xinkiori", legendary to the Huachipaeri people. Likewise, there is knowledge of an archaeological site in the Mameria area, located in the headwaters of the Piñi Piñi River.

Manu National Park Foundation

In 1967, Celestino Kalinowski, son of a famous Polish naturalist who arrived in Peru in 1887, initiated the recommendation to the Peruvian State to create a National Park in Manu.

British adviser Ian Grimwood also provided a report supporting this recommendation. In 1968, Peru declared the area a National Forest. Subsequently, on May 29, 1973, Peru established the Manu National Park through Supreme Decree 0644-73-AG. The decree aimed to preserve the natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations. This same purpose led UNESCO to recognize the Manu Biosphere Reserve, which today covers a territory of 1,881,200 ha (18,812 km²) in the provinces of Paucartambo in Cusco and Manu in Madre de Dios.

The authorities drew the boundaries by applying the principle of natural boundaries and watershed domains. However, the boundary of the Park on the Manu River itself had to end at the confluence with the Panahua River due to existing oil exploration.

Distribution of the Manu National Park

The central area

Also called Manu National Park, it is intended for protection, more than in other areas of the Manu National Park, and only anthropological and biological research activities limited to the observation of life and ecological processes in their natural form are allowed; the Park contains the Cocha Cashu Biological Station, one of the most important research centers in tropical forests. The place is untouchable, and to visit it a special authorization is required. This same area is home to human populations of Amazonian natives belonging to different ethnic groups. These groups have inhabited the area since time immemorial. Their number is estimated at about 1,000 indigenous people. However, the Callanga area also has a Quechua population of approximately 200 people.

The buffer zone

This area, also called the Manu Reserved Zone, is located in the lower part of the Manu River. Authorized agencies organize and allow tourist activities in this area. The area also allows for research with minimal manipulation. It is possible to observe a great landscape and natural richness due to the large amount of flora and fauna visible from the rivers and lakes (meanders of the river that close and are isolated from the main channel, forming lagoons that maintain a great wealth of fauna). Visits are controlled as in the other areas of the Manu Park. It extends from the Panagua River ravine to Boca Manu.

The transition zone or cultural zone

This area is made up of the basin of the Upper Madre de Dios River and the high Andean territories that border the southern part of the reserve, between the dividing line of the National Park and the Mapacho River. In this area, settler populations predominate, carrying out agricultural, livestock and forestry activities, and have basic health, education and development services, although in an incipient way. Ecological activities are allowed unlike other areas of the Manu Park.

Around the Manu Biosphere Reserve there are other areas, including the State Territorial Reserve, a reserve that favors the Kugapakori and Nahua ethnic groups. The Sanctuary of Megantoni is another area. The Amarakaeri Reserved Zone is also nearby.

These territories are considered for integration. The territories of the Mapacho River basin are considered. The expansion of the current cultural area is considered. This area would later be called the Multiple-Use Zone. Andean and Amazonian Multipurpose Zone.

Studies and proposals contemplate the integration of these areas, which would be given to the Manu Biosphere Reserve.

Conclusion

The mysteries of this incredible natural wonder are still on the table, it is crucial to uphold the principles of responsible stewardship and respect for the indigenous cultures that have coexisted with these ecosystems for millennia.