{"id":1548,"date":"2015-11-23T01:48:24","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T09:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/?p=1548"},"modified":"2015-11-14T20:46:49","modified_gmt":"2015-11-15T04:46:49","slug":"the-newest-national-park-in-the-world-sierra-del-divisor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/featured\/the-newest-national-park-in-the-world-sierra-del-divisor\/","title":{"rendered":"The Newest National Park in the World – Sierra del Divisor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ucayali

Ucayali River
Photo by Diego Sanguinetti [CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>On November 8, 2015 Peruvian President Ollanta Humala approved the creation of a 3.3 million-acre national park at Sierra del Divisor in Peru’s Amazon Basin on the border between Brazil and Peru. \u00a0This land, and more, had been designated\u00a0as the\u00a0Sierra del Divisor Reserved Zone\u00a0in 2006 by decree of the Peruvian Government. \u00a0The process in moving from a Reserved Zone to a National Park was long and difficult, especially for the people that live around the new park. \u00a0The new Peruvian Park (Parque Nacional de la\u00a0Sierra<\/span>\u00a0del<\/span>\u00a0Divisor)\u00a0<\/span>adjoins a 2.1 million acre park, of the same name (Parque Nacional da Serra do\u00a0Divisor<\/span>), in Brazil.<\/p>\n

Working with People<\/h1>\n
\"Parque<\/a>

Click to Enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

The creation of the Sierra del Divisor Reserved Zone prohibited establishing title to the land to anyone. \u00a0While this kept those interested in development of the many resources in the area at bay, \u00a0it also made it agonizingly difficult for those that have lived in the area for generations to move forward. \u00a0Ultimately the Peruvian government worked with the villages to adjust the area boundaries so that the\u00a0villages\u00a0can remain and so that villagers can claim title to their land. \u00a0 \u00a0The National Park now has villages along its border that provide a buffer to other lands and ownerships in the area. Further, \u00a0there are indigenous communities within the park that have had little or no outside contact.<\/p>\n

This process was accomplished in the face of intense opposition from development interests that looked longingly at the area’s forests, oil, gas, minerals, fish and wildlife. \u00a0Just last summer new deforestation was detected in the Reserved Zone and attributed to either illegal logging or farmers growing coca for the illegal drug trade. \u00a0As a National Park, the area should be more carefully managed to prevent these types of abuses.<\/p>\n

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In a Tweet<\/a>,\u00a0Peru\u2019s Environment Minister\u00a0Manuel Pulgar-Vidal\u00a0said,\u00a0\u201cThe creation of the Sierra del Divisor National Park is a historic event. It is a confirmation of the Peruvian government\u2019s commitment to conservation, sustainable development and the fight against climate change.”<\/div><\/div>\n

Plants and Wildlife<\/h1>\n

A quick survey of the area’s biology by the Chicago Field Museum<\/a> was completed in 2005. \u00a0It found many species that seem to be new to science as well as many that are threatened. \u00a0These include:<\/p>\n