San José de Lourdes (14736)
Peru, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1b, B1, B2

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: San José de Lourdes

Central coordinates: Latitude: -5.0700, Longitude: -78.9000

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 562 to 2755

Area of KBA (km²): 1815.58706

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The KBA San José de Lourdes covers an area of 1815. 587 sq km and it is located in Peru, San Ignacio province and districts of San José de Lourdes and Huarango. This site has an altitudinal range of 562 - 2754 masl and it's located on the southern bank of the Chinchipe River, north of the department of Cajamarca. Above the town are mountains covered by elfin forest at 2,000 m, while moist evergreen forest is below the city at about 800 m. Deforestation has been intensifying since 1984. The area was evaluated in 1976 by a Louisiana State University expedition. In this KBA there are still areas of pristine forest and others with little anthropogenic disturbance, except for the locality of Crucero, which has only a few patches of disturbed forest, with a unique biological diversity. The high rainfall, complex geology and topography contribute to creating and maintaining this diversity. These lands are not suitable for agriculture because of their shallow soils, steep slopes and torrential rains.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The KBA San José de Lourdes qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for A1, B1 and B2 criteria described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBA. The KBA San Jose de Lourdes harbors two range restricted plants: Weinmannia glomerata (VU) and Weinmannia microphylla, and six range restricted bird species: Synallaxis maranonica (CR), Grallaria ridgelyi (EN), Pheugopedius sclateri, Turdus maranonicus, Patagioenas oenops and Heliangelus regalis.

Additional biodiversity: Atlapetes paynteri, Hemitriccus cinnamomeipectus, Dysithamnus occidentalis, Henicorhina leucoptera, Grallaricula peruviana, Arremon nigriceps, Pheugopedius sclateri, Siptornis striaticollis, Melanopareia maranonica

Manageability of the site: This KBA San José de Lourdescould be managed by the Regional Government of Cajamarca (https://www.gob.pe/regioncajamarca) because it has the capacity to establish Regional Conservation Areas. In addition, since it is a nationally prioritized area, it is more likely that the state will be able to carry out some type of conservation measure in the area. The National Coordination Group of KBA has a conservation promotion and monitoring committee, which is composed of various governmental and civil society institutions that will work to promote conservation actions in the KBA.

Delineation rationale: The KBA San Jose de Lourdes is delineated according to the cartographic characteristics that allow us to cover the distribution of the triggering species. The boundaries to the west and northwest follow the San Francisco River and the national boundary between Peru and Ecuador. To the east it continues along the departmental boundary between Cajamarca and Amazonas to the town of Huarandoza in the south, excluding the El Porvenir Population Center, following the motorable highway that connects the districts of Huarango and San José de Lourdes. To the southwest, the mountainous relief continues, excluding the town of Jose Olaya until the Chinchipe River, where it follows its entire margin until the junction with the San Fransisco River. The delineation includes areas with agriculture or certain levels of anthropic activity because it is in these areas where birdwatchers have greater access and have recorded and confirmed the presence of some of the trigger species.

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	80	Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist montane

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The intensification of agriculture favors logging and, with it, the loss of habitat. Burning of vegetation has also been reported in this area, at least once a year.

Additional information