The expedition to the Regional Conservation Area – ACR Boshumi surprised by the high record of endemic birds, in some cases new to the San Martin department.
Regional Conservation Area – ACR Boshumi (Bosques de Shunté y Mishollo)
Boshumi is the second ACR in the department of San Martin, with an area of 191 thousand hectares that protect yungas and paramo ecosystems, as well as headwaters of watersheds in the area, in the districts of Uchiza, Shunté and Pólvora, in the province of Tocache; and Campanilla and Huicungo, in the province of Mariscal Cáceres (Romo, 2018).
In this regard, the Peruvian yungas, are a hotspot due to their high rate of endemism and biodiversity, where there are more than 1500 species between flora and fauna that were registered by the Research Institute of the Peruvian Amazon (IIAP) for the preparation of the proposal for the creation of the Natural Protected Area – ANP (Romo, 2018). According to the Master Plan 2020-2024 the target species for conservation are the Andean bear and the Yellow-tailed wolly monkey (ARA San Martin, 2020).
2023 expedition to ACR Boshumi
At the end of the year 2023, the Ikam Expeditions team and allies organized an exploratory trip to the Boshumi ACR, the main reasons being its location between yungas and jalca and the high possibility of finding endemic and restricted species with little chance of being observed in other corners of the department of San Martin.
In this sense, work began on planning and logistical preparation to acquire a 4×4 vehicle equipped for the trip, purchase of supplies and coordination with ACR managers. The expedition was scheduled to visit from Friday, November 24 to Sunday, November 26, with the first day of transfer from Moyobamba, the second day focused on bird watching from 5 am and the last day bird watching until noon and then return.
The first day we arrived at the ACR checkpoint around 5 pm where after dinner we planned with the ranger staff the birding activity for Saturday. The second day, we started at 5 am, where we really enjoyed the scenery and the birds of the area, we decided to start the activity in the transition zone between the jalca and the yunga and then descend during the course of the day to the starting point.
What a beautiful birds we saw, the most outstanding ones being the Golden-backed Mountain Tanager (Cnemathraupis aureodorsalis), Bay-vented Cotinga (Doliornis sclateri), Inca Flycatcher (Leptopogon taczanowskii), Yellow-scarfed Tanager (Iridosornis reinhardti), among others.
The last day started with heavy rain and did not stop until the night, because of this event, the streams were activated and one in particular did not allow to pass, so our visit was extended as it blocked the exit of the ACR, in that sense, the birding activity was conducted near the control station not allowing us to explore the other areas of interest planned. Finally, we arrived in Tocache in the early morning of Monday, November 27, closing a great adventure that we will surely do again.
The good things
The landscape, unique ecosystems of jalca and yungas and unique birds. Also a good thing was to find young park rangers with enthusiasm to conserve the protected area in charge and in some cases with great interest in specializing in bird watching. About birds, we have the following records in eBird:
ACR Boshumi – Puesto de vigilancia y control Chamión
ACR Boshumi – sector estación pesquera Shunte
ACR Boshumi – sector Altos Marcos
It is important to note that in addition to the species recorded during the trip, park rangers have also recorded the Yellow-browed Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus huallagae), the Black-winged Parrot (Hapalopsittaca melanotis), among others.
The bad thing
The road that connects the departments of San Martin and La Libertad and crosses the ACR generates many threats; there was evidence of deforestation and illegal logging, illegal mining, and a lot of solid waste, among other things. In addition, accessibility is limited and tourism services are reduced.
The future of ACR Boshumi
The impression of the place and the birds that live there has exceeded the expectations of all our team and we hope that the conservation and sustainable development work will be consolidated in the area. We also look forward to the future development of birdwatching and ecotourism expeditions, being a viable possibility if proper services and visitor management are implemented in accordance with the conservation objectives of the NPA.
Bibliography
Autoridad Regional Ambiental de San Martín (2020). Plan Maestro Boshumi. https://www.studocu.com/pe/document/universidad-nacional-agraria-de-la-selva/recursos-naturales/plan-maestro-area-de-conservacion-regional-bosques-de-shunte-y-mishollo-para-revision/30541928
Romo, V. (2018). Perú: bosque nuboso de San Martín se convierte en área protegida. https://es.mongabay.com/2018/12/peru-bosque-nuboso-de-san-martin-se-convierte-en-area-protegida/
