Serranía de la Macarena

Serranía de La Macarena (Macarena Mountain Range) is a Colombian mountain range located to the east of the Andes and separated at its northern part about 40 km from the Cordillera Oriental (coord|3|1|30|N|74|0|30|W|). The range is orientated North-South 120 km in length and 30 km wide. Its summits reach up to 1600 m. above sea level. La Macarena National Park occupies the central part of the range. It was the first national reserve in Colombia, established in accordance with a Congressional Law promulgated in 1948. The status of National Park was given in 1971. The ecologically protected area includes 6,200 km².

Flora and fauna

"La Macarena National Park" is an axis of ecological encounter between the fauna and flora of the Amazon and the Orinoco regions. Due to its altitude, temperatures can go from 42 °F to 88 °F. This feature helps to keep a unique habitat and then a relative so small territory holds an amazing biodiversity and, therefore, it holds too a good number of endemic species - "A species that is endemic is unique to a defined place or region (in other words only found in that place or region)".-

It has animal species such as anteaters, jaguars, cougars, deers, 8 species of monkeys, 550 species of birds, 1,200 species of insects and 100 species of reptiles.

About flora it has 48 species of orchids and 2,000 other flora species and type of plants. However, botanics continue the task of classification of other many unique species.

Eco-tourism

The La Macarena National and Ecological Reserve Park is internationally known for one river that has been classified as one of the most beautiful rivers of the world: Caño Cristales. The beauty of the river has been chronicled by the Colombian journalist and explorer Andrés Hurtado García.

There are also other important torrents such as "Angostura I" in the "Guayabero" river and "Caño Cafre", surrounded by rocky edges with a great amount of "petroglifos". The place is also rich in many waterfalls difficult to see due to the steep relief.

Geology

About its geology, "La Macarena" is one of the most ancient geological formations of Colombia. It has rocks from the Lower Precambrian, therefore they could be dated 1,000 million years of age. According with some scholars, this hill region is related to the mountain systems of Guyana, Venezuela, Surinam and Brasil for their close geological similarities and about 1,000 million of years of age.

The problem of colonization, illegal drug crops and fumigation

The integrity of the National Park has been historically threatened by the arrival of colonists since 1970, seeking land. The town of Buenavista (Meta) dates from this period.

In recent years, portions of the Park have been used both to grow coca, plant landmines and to house irregular rebel forces, because it is difficult for Colombian authorities to access and control the area.

By 2005 an estimated 45 km² of the Park's extension was used to grow drugs as part of the illegal drug trade. Increased coca cultivation has contributed to damaging the Park's eco-system and diversity.

Despite the existence of drug crops, for many years the Park had never been subjected to controversial glyphosate fumigation, as it had been forbidden by law to do so in National Parks. Later reforms relaxed the law's restrictions, allowing for the use of fumigation only after a set criteria has been met, including viability and ecological impact studies.

In late 2005, after FARC guerrillas ambushed a number of Colombian security forces near the Park, the Colombian government publicly announced the beginning of a manual coca eradication campaign in La Macarena as a form of retaliation. Manual eradication efforts, consisting of a heavy police and military presence on the ground as a way of protecting workers, began in January 2006. These efforts lasted until the middle of the same year, manually eradicating an estimated 29.1 km² of coca from the Park.

After a number of workers and Colombian law enforcement authorities were wounded and killed due to ambushes, mines and other forms of guerrilla attacks, the government announced that fumigation would be employed to eradicate the remaining 17 km² of drug crops.

This decision has been criticized, because environmentalists fear that fumigation will contribute to the further deterioration of the Park's eco-system.

External links

* [http://www.parquesnacionales.gov.co/PNN/portel/libreria/php/decide.php?patron=01.0115 La Macarena National Park, Spanish site of the Colombian Government]
* [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/geografia/mac/indice.htm "The colonization of La Macarena Ecological Reserve"] (Virtual book in Spanish of the Colombian "Luis Ángel Arango" Libray).es icon [http://siatac.siac.net.co Sistema de Información Ambiental Territorial de la Amazonia colombiana SIAT-AC]