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COPO NATIONAL PARK
Province of Santiago del Estero
This recently created national park
(November 2000) covers an area of 114,250 ha and is in the NE corner of
the province of Santiago del Estero..
It protects an important sector of the chaco woods with quebracho as its
main species of interest. Having been a provincial forest reserve since
1968, it was spared the logging and clearing which dominated the rest
of the chaco biome.
NATURAL ASPECTS
The Santiago quebracho is
the species here present, typical of the drier areas of that huge biome
which occupies all north central Argentina, western Paraguay and a bit
of eastern Bolivia. Quebracho has a straight trunk of heavy and extremely
hard red wood. The "white" quebracho, also found in the park,
is much sought for burning charcoal or for firewood. The effect of cattle
grazing has also been a factor in the diminution of the area occupied
by these species. Of the 80% of the province's area which was once covered
by these woods at the beginning of the XX century, only slightly over
20% remains today, and that has been impoverished by selective logging
and grazing. For this reason Copo is important to National Parks' effort
to preserve a good sample of each of the biomes of the country. It also
possesses a good population of several threatened species of wildlife
such as the jaguar, the giant anteater, the giant armadillo and the chacoan
peccary, a species known till recently only from sub-fossil remains but
discovered alive and kicking in the seventies. The turquoise-fronted amazon
(a parrot much sought for the pet trade for its excellent capacity to
"talk"), here finds refuge and the large trees (with hollows)
that it needs for nesting, as does the crowned eagle, and the rhea.
OF INTEREST TO VISITORS
Because of its very recent
creation the park has none of the services nor facilities for visitation.
The HQ are in the village of Los Pirpintos.
HOW TO GET
THERE
Route 16 from Resistencia
to Salta is the thoroughfare to reach the region
of the park.
Thanks to APN - Administración
de Parques Nacionales
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