Cordillera Negra (100245)
Peru, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1c, B2

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Cordillera Negra

Central coordinates: Latitude: -9.7480, Longitude: -77.8060

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1000 to 4450

Area of KBA (km²): 901.69679

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: No

Site details

Site description: The KBA Cordillera Negra covers an area of 901.70 sq km and it's located within Perú, in the department of Áncash. The altitude range of the KBA is 1000 to 4450 masl and includes the Noqnoc Forest in Pararin, San Damian, Wiñapajatun and Cochabamba, all of which are dry cloud forests. The weather is semi-dry. The climate is warm temperate to temperate, or cold temperate and dry on the western slopes where these forests are found; the climate is warm and humid in the valleys. The rainy season is from January to March, the thermal variations between day and night increase with altitude. Rainfall can be up to approximately 4,000 meters. This KBA presents de following ecosystems: Matorral andino, Pajonal de puna húmeda, bosque nublado seco and Zona agrícola. The avifauna was extensively studied by Irma Franke. The main threats are logging, burning, grazing and the growth of the agricultural frontier.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The KBA Cordillera Negra is qualified as a Key Biodiversity Area of international importance as it meets the threshold of A1a, A1c and B2 criteria described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. This KBA harbors four geographically restricted bird species and the Endangered species Puya raimondii.

Manageability of the site: The KBA Cordillera Negra could be managed by the Regional Government of Ancash (https://www.gob.pe/regionancash) because it has the capacity to establish Regional Conservation Areas.

Supersedes another site: Cochabamba - 14826, Chacchan - 14770, Wiñapajatun - 14827, San Damián-Berna Puquio - 14771, Bosque de Noqno - 14772

Delineation rationale: For the Cordillera Negra KBA, the distribution limits of the western relict montane forest patches were taken into account. To the north, it is bordered by the Yautan River and mountainous terrain up to the Chacchan River. To the west, it follows the mountainous terrain up to 1700 m above sea level and crosses the Cota Puquio and Berna Puquio streams. To the southwest it follows the Huarmey River, to the south it extends across the Malvas River to the district of Pararín, to the east it follows the Vado River and the limits of the districts of the province of Aija.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: Andean scrubland, Puna humid scrubland, dry cloud forest and agricultural zone.

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Shrubland	40	Shrubland – Subtropical/tropical high altitude
Grassland	40	Grassland – Subtropical/tropical high altitude
Forest	10	Forest – Subtropical/tropical dry

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching	Scale Unknown/Unrecorded

Additional information

References: SINIA (National Environmental Information System). https://sinia.minam.gob.pe/mapas/mapa-nacional-ecosistemas-peru. Castro, A., Dávila, C., Laura, W., Cubas Saucedo, F., Ávalos, G., López, C., ... & Marín, D. (2021). Climates of Peru: national climate classification map. In Climates of Peru: national climate classification map (pp. 70-70). https://www.senamhi.gob.pe/?p=mapa-climatico-del-peru.