Paracas

It is the only protected natural area having land and marine territories and ecosystems.In 1991 it was declared Regional Reserve for Migratory Birds by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (known today as "Wetlands for the Americas" Program). Moreover, in April 1992, it was included in the list of Internationally Important Wetlands, which are protected by the Ramsar Convention. This National Reserve is situated in the department of Ica, province of Pisco, Paracas district, over an area of 335 000 hectares (217, 594 ha are marine).It has a wide diversity of birds, including many migratory, resident, and/or endemic species. The community of birds, which is one of its main tourist attractions, is composed of shorebirds such as the sanderling (Calidris alba), the western sandpiper (Calidris mauri), the semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), semipalmated plover (Charadrius sempalmatus), and the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis)..These birds eat small organisms (benthic species) that live in the submerged or humid ground of this environment. Among the seabirds we can find the Peruvian booby (Sula variegata), the guanay cormorant (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii), the Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus), the Peruvian tern (Sterna lorata), the Inca tern (Larosterna inca), the royal tern (Sterna maxima), and the elegant tern (Sterna elegans), living on small fish, mollusks, and crustaceans (pelagic organisms) that are in the superficial layers of the sea.



The San Gallán and La Vieja Islands, located in the Reserve, are the only places of reproduction known in Peru of the Peruvian diving-petrel (Pelecanoides garnotii), an endemic bird of the Humboldt Current that is in danger of extinction.Another threatened endemic species of this Current is the Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti). Here it is also possible to see the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), which is a vulnerable species, and the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), along the edges of the cliffs near the area where the sea lions lie, stalking the rotted meat of sea lions and other dead animals.Among the most visible mammals we have the South American sea lion (Otaria byronia), the South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis), and the marine otter or chigungo (Lutra felina), that are in danger of extinction.These animals use some isolated beaches or those beaches that are difficult to human access as reproduction and/ or resting habitats.The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is an aquatic mammal which is relatively easy to observe on some beaches, eating or swimming in the waves.



The main terrestrial mammal is the Sechuran fox (Pseudalopex sechurae), that can occasionally be seen walking through the desert and near the beaches.Moreover, it is possible to find bats and some minor mammals typical of hills, as well as some reptiles typical of desert areas such as the lizard (Microlophus peruvianus) and the Paracas gecko (Phyllodactylus angustidigitus).Some sea turtles frequent the Paracas waters, mostly in warm seasons and during especial events like the El Niño phenomenon, when their range of distribution increases. Among these species we have the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), the black sea turtle (Chelonia agassizzii), and the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).The flora on the shores is represented by halophyte plants, commonly known as saltgrass, from the Distichlis spp., Sesuvium spp., and Cressa truxillensis genuses.Furthermore, there are hill ecosystems in Cerro Lechuza, Morro Quemado, and San Gallán, where we can find some typical species such as the Oxalis spp., the Solanum ferreyrae, and the Tetragonia pedunculata.In the sea, there is also a great diversity of flora represented by algae. Among the major macroscopic algae we can find species known as sea lettuce, such as the Ulva fasciata and the Ulva papenfussii. Most of edible algae are found within the group of the red algae represented by species such as the Gigartina chamissoi, the G. glomerata, and the Porphyra columbina. Besides being used by artisanal fishermen, these algae feed the fauna in this place.