Henri Pittier National Park (Parque Nacional Henri Pittier)

 

Location: Aragua state Map

Area: 1078 km²

 

Description of Henri Pittier National Park

 

Henri Pittier National Park or Parque Nacional Henri Pittier is a nature reserve situated in the state of Aragua in Venezuela. This oldest nature reserve was formed in 1937 and covers an area of 1078 km². Henri Pittier National Park was renamed to Henri Pittier in 1953 after Swiss biologists who explored local rainforests and worked on conservation of the tropical forests. Ecosystems of the this natural park range from mangrove forests along the coast line to cloud forests in the mountains at an elevation above 2000 meters above sea level. It is one of the most bio diverse regions in the South America. There closed to 560 species of birds and 1100 animals alone. Other animals include anteaters, ocelots, pumas, tapirs, deer, foxes and numerous species of snakes. Some of these reptiles are poisonous.

 

Subsequently, on May 24, 1953, he was renamed Henri Pittier, a distinguished Swiss engineer, naturalist and botanist, founder of the national park system of Venezuela, who achieved the consolidation of the park and spent much of his life in the study of the forest ecosystem tropical and thousands of species of plants and fauna in the park.5

Although in its beginnings it was established in 90,000 hectares of parkland, later in 1974 in the government of Carlos Andrés Pérez, another 17,800 hectares were annexed, resulting in a total area of ​​107,800 hectares, the current geographical area of ​​the park.

It was created with the purpose of preserving the cloud forest ecosystems and the estuarine and marine-coastal environments of the Cordillera de la Costa, threatened by the burning and agricultural activities, as well as protecting their biodiversity and the preservation of those endemic, rare species , vulnerable or endangered. It also protects important water resources that supply water to nearby towns and is a space for environmental research, recreation and education. Therefore the efforts of scientist Henri Pittier for the creation of the Park.

For years the park has been protected by the National Institute of Parks of Venezuela (INPARQUES), which assumes a systematic policy of conservation and preservation of the park's natural resources.

Tourists and scientists from all over the world visit the park for this reason, and therefore the Friends of Henri Pittier National Park (SCAPNHP) Scientific Society was created in 1989. This society seeks to promote the study of the park's flora and fauna, and instead protect the natural habitat of these species from disturbing elements.