Location: Aragua state Map
Area: 1078 km²
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.