Siete Iglesias Municipal Ecological Conservation Area

conservation park

Siete Iglesias Municipal Ecological Conservation Area or Área Ecológica de Conservacíon Siete Iglesias is a place in Morona Santiago, Ecuador. Plants and animals live there, but human beings are allowed to visit it. The park is named for one of the mountains in it, which is called "Siete Igelsias," or "seven churches." The park is between 1140 and 3840 meters above sea level. The park is mostly cloud forest.[1][2]

Siete Iglesias Municipal Ecological Conservation Area
Área Ecológica de Conservacíon Siete Iglesias
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
LocationMorona Santiago, Ecuador
Nearest citySan Juan Bosco
Area160.29 km2 (61.89 sq mi)
Established2006
Governing bodyMinisterio del Ambiente (Ministry of the Environment)

The hills in Siete Iglesias are very steep, so almost no people go there. The park is for conservation, a place for plants and animals and other living things to live. People also take care of natural springs where water comes up out of the ground. There are some hiking trails where visitors can camp, hike, and take pictures. There are two big mountains in the park, Siete Igelesias and Pan de Azúcar, or "Sugarloaf." Farmers who moved near the park in the 1900s named the mountain Pan de Azúcar after a kind of bread. Pan de Azúcar is hard to climb.[1]

The Shuar indigenous people used to live in and near this park.[1]

Some scientists say that parks like Siete Iglesias are too small to help plants and animals alone. The scientists say that people should make room around the parks so that many small parks can work together. This would help some plants and animals.[3]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Siete Iglesias Área Ecológica de Conservacíon Municipal". Minesterio del Ambiente del Punto Verde. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. "Siete Iglesias". Protected Planet. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. Cuesta, F.; Peralvo, M.; Merino-Viteri, A.; Bustamante, M.; Baquero, F.; Muriel, P.; Torres-Carvajal, O. (2017). "Priority areas for biodiversity conservation in mainland Ecuador". Neotropical Biodiversity. 3 (1): 93–106. doi:10.1080/23766808.2017.1295705. Retrieved August 21, 2024.