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Yungas | |
|---|---|
Natural region | |
 Yungas Road in Bolivia | |
 Vegetation of Peru. Mountain rainforest in blue-green. | |
| Country | Peru andBolivia |
TheYungas (Aymarayunka warm or temperateAndes or earth,Quechuayunka warm area on the slopes of the Andes)[1][2] is abioregion of a narrow band of forest along the eastern slope of theAndes Mountains fromPeru andBolivia, and extends into Northwest Argentina at the slope of the Andes pre-cordillera. It is a transitional zone between the Andean highlands and the eastern forests. Like the surrounding areas, the Yungas belong to theNeotropical realm; the climate is rainy, humid, and warm.
During theInca Empire, the termyunga referred to both the western and eastern slopes of the Andes and their inhabitants. In theSpanish colonial era, it became primarily associated with the western foothills near the desert coast and the local Indians. Today,yunga can refer to the lower slopes on both sides of the Andes, thoughyungas mostly denotes the eastern foothills between the Andes and the Amazon basin, with both having mostly lost their ethnic associations.
The Yungas forests are extremely diverse, ranging from moist lowland forest to evergreenmontane forest andcloud forests. The terrain, formed byvalleys, fluvialmountain trails andstreams, is extremely rugged and varied, contributing to the ecological diversity and richness. A complex mosaic of habitats occur with changing latitude as well as elevation. There are high levels ofbiodiversity andspecies endemism throughout the Yungas regions. Many of the forests are evergreen, and the South Andean Yungas contains what may be the last evergreen forests resulting fromQuaternary glaciations.
TheWorld Wide Fund for Nature has delineated three yungasecoregions along the eastern side of the Andes:
Yungas are transitional zones between the Andean highlands and the eastern forests. The yungas forests are extremely diverse, ranging from moist lowland forest to evergreen montane forest and cloud forests. The terrain is extremely rugged and varied, contributing to the ecological diversity and richness. A complex mosaic of habitats occur with changing latitude as well as elevation. There are high levels of biodiversity and species endemism throughout the yungas regions. Many of the forests are evergreen, and the South Andean Yungas contains what may be the last evergreen forests resulting from Quaternary glaciations.[3]
The average temperature is 72 °F (22 °C). The climate is varied and ranges from a humidtropical to the cold of the Andes over 10,000 ft (3,000 m).
In Peru there is a difference between Yunga and Yungas.Yunga is considered a natural region on both sides of the Peruvian Andes, the western side towards the coast is called Sea Yunga, and the eastern side into the jungle is called Fluvial Yunga, both reach a height of 2,300 m.
Instead,Yungas is the ecoregion of rain forest and montane forest from 1.000 to 3.500 m, so it is limited to the eastern side of the Andes. This concept has a closer analogy with the Bolivian Yungas. This region is considered as the most endemic biodiversity of Peru.
Forest loss in the Peruvian Yungas has sharply accelerated since the 2000s, rising seven-fold between 2005 and late 2012, according to satellite analysis by Terra-i.[4]
Sea Yunga, or Maritime Yunga, is found between500 and 2,300 m and it is situated between the eastern part of the coastal strip and the western part of the Highlands. This subregion has asubtropicaldesert climate with little rainfall along the central and southern coast (drier as you go south). The average year round day temperature is 21 °C (70 °F) (max 33 °C min 8 °C). A mist-fed ecosystem calledLomas is found at scattered locations among hills near the Pacific Ocean at elevations up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).
Theflora in the central Sea Yungas region is mainly composed by thelucuma andcherimoya trees, thecasuarin, and others.
Once you go north its climate becomessubtropical in the vicinity of La Libertad, Lambayeque and Piura. Day time temperatures average between 21 °C (70 °F) and 25 °C (77 °F) depending on latitude (max 40 °C min 15 °C).
As this area approaches the tropics, fauna differs from the rest of the coast, so that animals like theboas, largerreptiles and the famouswhite-winged guan (a bird species unique to this Peruvian ecoregion) occur here. Common trees in this area are thefaique, thesapote, thezapayal, thebarrigon and other thornytropical savanna trees of theequatorial dryforests on the northern coast ofPiura andTumbes.
The cooler Pacific side is more vaguely characterized. The dry and coolYunga Coastal begins at 500 m above sea level. The Maritime Yunga begins dry, and it seems to followecotone on ecotone until reaching the Quechua region at the Pacific side.
Fluvial Yunga is between the altitudes of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) and is found on the eastern part of Peru. This sub-region has asubtropical climate with ample seasonal rains. The average temperature fluctuates between 20 °C and 25 °C depending on the altitude (max 35 °C, min 11 °C).
Concept:
The concept of the east side of the continental divide is straightforward: 1,000 m above sea level it is 4.9 °C cooler, and the subtropical cloud forest (Fluvial Yunga) follows the tropical rainforest (Anti). At 2,300 m, the climate transitions from subtropical climate to temperate climate (Quechua). TheTree line ends at 3,500 m and has an annual mean temperature of 10 °C. The region between thetree line and 4,000 m is calledSuni or Jalca. Suni is a dry and cold region with many glacial valleys. Despite the harsh weather, crops such asquinoa,maca,qañiwa,broad beans andulluku are cultivated here.
Theflora (subtropicalcloud forest) of the Yunga region is mainly composed by thePeruvian pepper tree, theFurcraea, whitecabuya (Furcraea andina), thepitahaya and thePeruvian torch cactus (Echinopsis peruviana). Thecoca leaf is established in this region as well as theuña de gato ("cat's claw",Uncaria tomentosa). The most attractive sites of this warm refreshing region are its manyorchid forests and beautiful valleys. Thefauna in the Yunga region is characterized by thelong-tailed mockingbird, or chaucato.[5][6]
Andean Continental Divide
| Westside | Eastside |
|---|---|
| Chala, dry coast | Lowlandtropical rainforest orSelva baja |
| Maritime Yunga | Highlandtropical rainforest orSelva alta |
| Maritime Yunga | Subtropicalcloud forest orFluvial Yunga |
| Quechua – Montane valleys | Quechua – Montane valleys |
| Tree line | Tree line – about 3,500 m |
| Suni, scrubs and agriculture | Suni, scrubs and agriculture |
Mountain Top:
In the early 20th century, the region was a major source forrubber andquinine. Now,coffee,citrus, andcoca are important crops. People cultivate native plants like thecanistel or eggfruit tree thelúcuma tree, thecherimoya or chirimoya, theguava or guayabo and theavocado or palta.[citation needed]
TheAfro Bolivian community is concentrated here.
Its name derives from the one applied for the same mountain level by those who study the economic system of the prehispanic Andes.[citation needed]
The Yungas also contains one of the most deadly roads in the world, called the "camino de la muerte," orHighway of Death.
Due to the mountainous terrain an entrepreneurial coca harvester created a network ofzip lines that permit rapid travel from peak to peak by farmers, referred to locally as flying men or bird men, along with their harvests using "zip line trollies."[7]