Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park (Spanish: PNN Bahía Portete – Kaurrele) is a national natural park in Uribia, La Guajira, Colombia. The northernmost national park of mainland South America is located at the Caribbean coast of the La Guajira peninsula in Bahía Portete, between Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas. Established on December 20, 2014, it is the most recently designated national park of the country. As of 2017, 59 nationally defined protected areas are incorporated in Colombia. The park hosts a high number of marine and terrestrial species.

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park
PNN Bahía Portete – Kaurrele
Bahía Hondita, close to the park
 PNN Bahía Portete – Kaurrele
Location Colombia
Nearest cityUribia
Coordinates12°07′00″N 72°02′00″W[1]
Area14,080 ha (54.4 sq mi)
DesignationNational Natural Park
Established20 December 2014
AdministratorSINAP
Official website

Description
Bahía Portete Park is located in the northern part of the municipality Uribia

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park, with an area of 14,080 hectares (34,800 acres), is located in the extreme north of Colombia, at the northern coast of La Guajira peninsula between Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas, Colombia's mainland northernmost point. The park is within the boundaries of the municipality Uribia. The climate is hot and arid, due to the desert of La Guajira. Average temperatures range between 28 and 30 °C (82 and 86 °F). The coastal area is characterised by humidity caused by the inland winds.[2] The marine bay area has an average depth of 9 metres (30 ft), ranging from 3 to 20 metres (9.8 to 65.6 ft).[3]

At the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century, the bay was known as El Portichuelo, an area where slaves were brought into Colonial Colombia. The sparsely populated area is inhabited by approximately 500 indigenous Wayuu.[1][4] On April 18, 2004, approximately forty paramilitaries tortured and assassinated six people, four of which were women. They burned various houses and dishonoured their cemeteries. More than 600 Wayuu fled to Venezuela.[5]

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park was designated number 59 of the National Natural Parks of Colombia to protect the marine and littoral ecosystems of the La Guajira peninsula on December 20, 2014.[3] The declaration of the park as a protected area was initiated in 2003. The indigenous communities of the Wayuu, Kamushiwoü, Alijunao, Yariwanischi, Puerto Portete, Ian, Youlepa, Kayuuswaarraaloü and Punta Cosos Espacios contributed in the planning of the establishment of the protected area.[6][7] At the declaration of the park, president of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos said "Biodiversity is to Colombia, what oil is for the Arabs".[8] Mining and industrial fishing are prohibited.[9]

Biodiversity
Crested caracara in La Guajira desert
Main article: Biodiversity of Colombia

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele Park comprises 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, relatively few mammals and marine fauna of 217 species have been registered in Bahía Portete.[10] The biodiversity of the park is rich in various other species.[11][12]

Fauna
Name Species Image
nine-banded armadilloDasypus novemcinctus
southern long-nosed batLeptonycteris curasoae
red-tailed squirrelSciurus granatensis splendidus
crab-eating foxCerdocyon thous aquilus
white-lipped peccaryTayassu pecari
brown hairy dwarf porcupineCoendou vestitus
American crocodileCrocodylus acutus
green iguanaIguana iguana
rainbow whiptailCnemidophorus lemniscatus
brown vine snakeOxybelis aeneus
South American rattlesnakeCrotalus durissus
green sea turtleChelonia mydas
loggerheadCaretta caretta
hawksbill sea turtleEretmochelys imbricata
leatherback sea turtleDermochelys coriacea
olive ridley sea turtleLepidochelys olivacea
Mastigodryas pleei
Phimophis guianensis
Rivero's toadBufo granulosus humboldti
Guayaquil dwarf frogPhysalaemus pustulosos
American flamingoPhoenicopterus ruber
anhingaAnhinga anhinga
bicolored conebillConirostrum bicolor
brown pelicanPelecanus occidentalis carolinensis
cocoi heronArdea cocoi
Crested caracaraCaracara cheriway
magnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificens
maguari storkEuxenura maguari
Neotropic cormorantPhalacrocorax brasilianus
roseate spoonbillPlatalea ajaja
scarlet ibisEudocimus ruber
American white ibisEudocimus albus
American yellow warblerDendroica petechia chrysendeta
Wilson's ploverCharadrius wilsonia
slender seahorseHippocampus reidi
common snookCentropomus undecimalis
hogfishLachnolaimus maximus
striped mojarraEugerres plumieri
cubera snapperLutjanus cyanopterus
lane snapperLutjanus synagris
mutton snapperLutjanus analis
red porgyPagrus pagrus
itajaraEpinephelus itajara
Nassau grouperEpinephelus striatus
rainbow parrotfishScarus guacamaia
Atlantic tarponTarpon atlanticus
Atlantic wreckfishPolyprion americanus
bonefishAlbula vulpes
Tayrona blennyEmblemariopsis tayrona
Lebranche mulletMugil liza
Cotuero toadfishBatrachoides manglae
crucifix sea catfishArius proops
Jenny mojarraEucinostomus gula
blue land crabCardisoma guanhumi
Caribbean spiny lobsterPanulirus argus
Atlantic seabobXiphopenaeus kroyeri
queen conchStrombus gigas
mouse cowryMuracypraea mus
Atlantic tritonCharonia variegata
magpie shellCittarium pica
Cassis madagascariensis
Haematopus palliatus
Penaeus notialis
Anachis coseli
Ancilla glabrata
Carpilus carallinus
Cassis flamea
Litopenaeus schmitti
Penaeus brasiliensis
Penaeus schmitti
red cushion sea starOreaster reticulatus
spiny flower coralMussa angulosa
elkhorn coralAcropora palmata
staghorn coralAcropora cervicornis
blushing star coralStephanocoenia intersepta

Flora

The coastal Bahía Portete Park is richer in flora than the surrounding desert. Common land plants are the cactus Opuntia wentiana and the mangrove tree Avicennia germinans.[13] Meadows of sea grasses of Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium are widely distributed in the marine portion of the park.[14][15]

Other protected areas in La Guajira
Los Flamencos Sanctuary, west of Bahía Portete in La Guajira

La Guajira contains eight protected areas, three national and five regional.[7]

  • Cabo de la Vela
    west of Bahía Portete
  • Opuntia wentiana
  • Typical cactus vegetation
  • Indigenous Wayuu
  • Taroa dunes
    east of Bahía Portete

See also

References
  1. Gutiérrez Moreno et al., 2008, p.191
  2. (in Spanish) Bahía Portete – Colparques
  3. (in Spanish) En esquina norte de la Guajira, Bahía Portete – Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia
  4. (in Spanish) Nueva reserva de Bahía Portete aumenta áreas protegidas en el país – El Espectador
  5. (in Spanish) Bahía Portete, regalo de Navidad – El Espectador
  6. (in Spanish) Parque Nacional Natural Bahía Portete – Kaurrele – Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia
  7. (in Spanish) Bahía Portete: parque natural tiene aval wayuu – El Heraldo
  8. (in Spanish) Nuevo Parque Nacional Natural de Colombia Bahía Portete – Ministerio de Ambiente, Colombia
  9. (in Spanish) La bahía sagrada que se volvió parque nacional – El Tiempo
  10. (in Spanish) Biodiversidad Parque Nacional Natural Bahía Portete – Kaurrele
  11. Gutiérrez Moreno et al., 2008, p.199
  12. Díaz Pulido, 1997, p.138
  13. Díaz Pulido, 1997, p.89
  14. Díaz Pulido, 1997, p.48
  15. Díaz Pulido, 1997, p.52

Bibliography
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