Reserva Nacional de Paracas (14911)
Peru, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1e, B1, B2

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Reserva Nacional de Paracas

Central coordinates: Latitude: -14.1532, Longitude: -76.2808

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 1 to 750

Area of KBA (km²): 4766.77122

Protected area coverage (%): 70.46

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The KBA Paracas National Reserve covers an area of 3358.652 sq km and it's located within the province of Pisco and Ica in the department of Ica and extending towards the sea approximately 11 to 52 km. This KBA follows the same boundaries as the Paracas National Reserve. The altitude range of the KBA Paracas National Reserve is 0-750 masl. The climate type in the KBA Paracas is: Temperate, arid with moisture deficiency in all seasons of the year, the maximum temperature ranges from 19°C to 31°C, the minimum temperature ranges from 3°C in the south to 21°C in the north, and the annual precipitation ranges from 0 mm to 5 mm in the parts adjacent to the coast. The KBA Paracas National Reserve presents Coastal Desert, few islands and surrounding marine habitats.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The KBA Paracas National Reserve 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 KBAs. The KBA Paracas National Reserve harbors the Endangered Marine Otter Lontra felina, the vulnerable lizard Ctenoblepharys adspersa, the entire known population of the Endangered Phyllodactylus angustidigitus and three range restricted birds: Sternula lorata (EN), Cinclodes taczanowskii and Xenospingus concolor.

Additional biodiversity: Vultur gryphus, Spheniscus humboldti,Geositta peruviana, Pterodroma phaeopygia, Sporophila simplex, Pterodroma cookii,Thalasseus elegans,Thalassarche melanophris, Diomedea epomophora, Procellaria cinerea, Macronectes giganteus, Tomopeas ravus, Arcthocephalus australis, Otarya bironia, Spheniscus humboldti, Phoebastria irrorata, Procellaria aequinoctialis, Poikilocarbo gaimardi, Phoenicopterus chilensis, Vultur gryphus, Sternula lorata, Xenospingus concolor, Pelecanoides garnotii, Larosterna inca, Pelecanus thagus, Thalasseus elegans, Cinclodes taczanowskii, Charadrius alticola, Larus modestus, Plegadis ridgwayi, Sicalis raimondii, Sporophila simplex, Haematopus ater, Thinocorus rumicivorus, Pluvialis squatarola, Charadrius semipalmatus, Limnodramus griseus, Limosa haemastica, Limosa fedoa, Calidris albs, Calidris mauri, Xema Sabini, Leucophaeus atricilla, Leucophaeis pipixcan, Gelochelidon nilotica, Childonias niger, Sterna hirundo, Sterna paradisaea, Thalasseus sandvicensis, Thalasseus maximus, Actitis macularius, Calidris bairdii, Hirundi rustica.

Manageability of the site: Being a National Reserve (in part), the KBA Paracas National Reserve can be managed by the National Service of Protected Natural Areas - SERNANP jointly with the Regional Government of Ica region.

Delineation rationale: The boundaries of the KBA Paracas National Reserve were delineated to encompass the entire distribution of the detonating species Phyllodactylus angustidigitus as well as the ecological characteristics of the endangered (EN) species Sternula lorata. These limits include the Paracas National Reserve Protected Natural Area including its buffer zone. The agricultural areas are excluded to the northeast following the margin of the Seco River in the Province of Pisco. We consider that around the few agricultural and urbanized areas, there are patches of coastal desert where the lizard Ctenoblepharys adspersa could be present. Additionally, along the coastline between the urbanized area and the sea, birds like Sternula lorata are found.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: Marine oceanic 40-50% Desert 30-40% Marine intertidal 10-20%

Land use: Natural Area Protected by the Peruvian Government

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Marine Intertidal	15
Marine Oceanic	45
Desert	35

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Human intrusions & disturbance	Work & other activities		Ongoing
Pollution	Garbage & solid waste		Ongoing
Residential & commercial development	Housing & urban areas		Ongoing
Residential & commercial development	Tourism & recreation areas		Ongoing
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing

Additional information

References: MINAM. (2018). Mapa Nacional de Ecosistemas del Perú. SINIA (Sistema Nacional de Información Ambiental) 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). Climas del Perú: mapa de clasificación climática nacional. In Climas del Perú: mapa de clasificación climática nacional (pp. 70-70). https://www.senamhi.gob.pe/?p=mapa-climatico-del-peru