Sangay National Park | |
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Parque nacional Sangay | |
IUCN category II (national park)
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Sangay National Park
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Location | Ecuador |
Coordinates | 1°50′S 78°20′W / 1.833°S 78.333°WCoordinates: 1°50′S 78°20′W / 1.833°S 78.333°W |
Area | 5,177.65 km2 (1,999.10 sq mi) |
Established | 1979 |
Type | Natural |
Criteria | vii, viii, ix, x |
Designated | 1983 (7th session) |
Reference no. | 260 |
State Party | Ecuador |
Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
Endangered | 1992–2005 |
Sangay National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Sangay) is a national park located in the Morona Santiago, Chimborazo and Tungurahua provinces of Ecuador. The park contains two active volcanoes (Tungurahua and Sangay), one extinct volcano El Altar (Kapak Urku), and ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforests to glaciers.
The park has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. In 1992, it was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger due to illegal poaching, extensive grazing, unplanned road construction and encroachment of the park's perimeter. It was removed from the UNESCO list of endangered sites in 2005.
The National Park is an important refuge for rare species of the Andes, like mountain tapirs and spectacled bears. Especially for the mountain tapir, the park is one of the most important strongholds. Typical species of the alpine and subalpine areas are mountain tapirs, Northern South American cougars and Andean foxes. In the forests below live spectacled bears, giant otters, Ecuadorian jaguars, ocelots, margays, Brazilian tapirs, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium), little red brocket deer and Northern Pudus. About 300-400 bird species inhabit the Park.