National Park Terepaima

Superfice (Ha)

Portuguese

Total Area (Ha)

NATIONAL PARK TEREPAIMA

Lara State, located in the central-western region of the country, is a Federal Entity representative of the arid provinces in which there are still remnants of humid mountain forests, which exert beneficial influences on the water regime and on other natural resources. A considerable extension of its territory presents conditions of great aridity and vegetation denudation, while the valleys and mountainous areas serve as a seat for large, medium and small intensive farms very important, for the promotion of the economy. However, the occupation and use of the highlands for agricultural purposes caused the destruction of the original tree cover, whose preservation was necessary for the ecological stability of the skirts of the mountain and the plain.

The need to stop or slow down the deforestation process led the public opinion of Barquisimeto to recommend and activate diligently for several years the protection of a mountainous sector covered with rainforests in the Sierra de Portuguesa, known as? Fila de Terepaima ?.

The proposal to create the Terepaima National Park received a resounding endorsement from the Laredo communities, it was based on solid reasons, such as: the scientific value of the area for the Centro Occidental University, its great tourist potential due to its proximity to the city of Barquisimeto and its historical importance since the Terepaima Row, was a seat, for a time, of the indigenous tribe of the Jirajaras. On the other hand, the rugged terrain made any type of use of the sector for agricultural purposes inadvisable.

The Terepaima National Park was created by National Executive Decree No. 1.519 dated April 14, 1976, in which it was considered: That the region known as Terepaima? it constitutes the last relicts of an important natural region where generic materials of autochthonous flora and fauna are still conserved, besides being the birthplace of vital watercourses for the development of the city of Barquisimeto and other populations of the Lara and Portuguesa States ?

The Park, includes an approximate extension of 16,971 hectares of lands located in the jurisdiction of the Palavecino and Iribarren Districts of Lara State and Araure of the Portuguese State. In addition to gathering some peculiar characteristics, natural scenic beauties and a rich and abundant flora and fauna, it offers special conditions for outdoor recreation of the population.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Historical review

The need to stop or slow down the deforestation process led the public opinion of Barquisimeto to recommend and diligently activate for several years the protection of a mountainous sector covered with rainforests in the Sierra de Portuguesa, known as Fila de Terepaima.

The Terepaima National Park was created by National Executive Decree No. 1,519 dated April 14, 1976, in which it was considered: That the region known as Terepaima constitutes the last relicts of an important natural region where generic materials are still conserved. native flora and fauna, besides being the birthplace of water courses vital for the development of the city of Barquisimeto and other populations of the Lara and Portuguesa States.

Decrees

Reason	No. and Date

Creation:	1,519 dated 04/14/1976 / GO 31,000 dated 06/10/1976.	to download

Altimetry

300-1,500

Weather

Warm rainy.

Temperature

19º C – 26º C

Precipitation (mm)

800 – 2,000 mm.

state

Lara and Portuguesa

Public consultation

Do not

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Geological and Geomorphological Information

It presents a rugged relief with variations ranging from 300 meters above sea level in the Sarare River to the Orinoco River basin, at 1,775 meters above sea level in the highest part of Fila Terepaima. From the geological point of view, Terepaima belongs to the Los Cristales formation, from the Tertiary period, composed of metamorphic rocks similar to those of the Cordillera de la Costa.

Vegetation

It is formed mainly by submontane ombrófilos forests, montanos always green. It presents a cloud forest between 1,200 – 1,500 meters above sea level, made up of several Andean species and some species of the Cordillera de la Costa. There are numerous cases of endemism such as iron or icaquito Licania montana. Species of the family Rubiaceae, palms such as Hyospathe and the bush Miconia metallica. The most common trees are the cobalonga Billia columbiana, caiman Meliosma pitteriana, yagrumo Cecropia santanderensis, blessed palm Ceroxylon ceriferum. Among the most striking species for its beauty stands out the orchid Cattleya mossiae popularly called Flor de Mayo, emblematic national flower. This has brought about its almost total extinction in some areas of the park, by the extraction of which they are subject.

Fauna

The park contains a varied and valuable representation of wildlife, some threatened with extinction, as is the case of the bear frontino or wild Tremarctos ornatus, the jaguar or Panthera onca tiger. You can also see the Capuchin monkey Cebus sp., The leopardus pardalis, the Felis yagouaraoundi ounce, the Tamandua tetradactyla bear, the Felis concolor puma, the Mazama americana deer, the Tapirus terrestris tapir. Among the birds include the paují stone crest Pauxi pauxi, the guacharaca Ortalis ruficauda, the cardinal Carduellis cucullata whose populations have been reduced by the capture of poachers, the white moriche Cissopis leveriana. On this site is the butterfly Thysania agripina, which looks like a bird from a distance;

ATTRACTIONS

The tourist attractions, besides the fauna and vegetation, are: the road of Cabudare-Terepaima that is a dirt road, the places of the Row of Los Naranjos, Las Delicias, the Las Parchas hacienda, where you can camp. In addition, there is the Camino Real, built by the Jirajaras Indians and preserved since colonial times, where indigenous cemeteries and archaeological remains are found.

LOCATION

Schedule

They are not established.

Location from the Nearest City

The Terepaima National Park is located between the states of Lara and Portuguesa. It covers the Palavecino, Iribarren and Simón Planas municipalities of the Lara State and the Araure Municipality of the Portuguese State.

How to get

Through different access branches that the Barquisimeto-Acarigua national highway presents; from the towns of Cabudare and Sarare on the road that leads from Barquisimeto to Río Claro and via the Claro-Río Amarillo route.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations for the Visitor

Tour the park as a group or in company, stay on established trails, respect the right to privacy, camping only in designated sites, respect signage, remove all solid waste resulting from their activities from the park, do not disturb the fauna, to follow the suggestions of the guardaparques, not to cause damages to the flora or to mistreat, to paint or to mark the natural elements. Inform the park rangers about any irregularity.

Forbidden activities

Commercial fishing, hunting, extraction of species of flora and fauna, discharge of polluting substances to courses and water mirrors, sports competitions that concentrate large numbers of people, use of sound equipment that disturb the tranquility of the park, take photographs or filming for commercial purposes without prior authorization, carry firearms or any other that may cause damage to natural resources.