Titicaca

It is situated in the department of Puno, provinces of Huancané and Puno. It has an area of 36 180 hectares including two sectors: the Ramis sector in the Huancané province (7,030 hectares), and the Puno sector in the province of Puno (29,150 hectares).

The most attractive fauna in the area is made up of migratory and resident birds. There are more than 60 species, the most outstanding being the Titicaca flightless grebe (Centropelma micropterum), the Puna Ibis (Plegadis ridgwayi), the white-creasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax olivaceus), and the wren-like rushbird (Phleocryptes melanops).Among the resident families we can find ducks (Anatidae) and rails (Rallidae), whereas the migratory families include plovers (Charadriidae), waders (Scolopacidae) and flamingos (Phoenicopte-ridae).

There are four different families of fish. From the total recorded 40 species belong only to the genus Orestias. Some of the native species are the killfish or carachi (Orestias spp.) and the suche (Trychomicterus rivulatum).The species introduced are the rainbow trout and the stream trout (Oncorhynchus mikkis) as well as the pejerrey (Basilichthys bonaerensis), all of them consumed by local people as a source of protein.Among the 18 native species of amphibians recorded, the most important are the giant toad of Titicaca, the aquatic toad (Telmatobius ssp.) or the common toad (Bufo spinulosus).Some of the endangered species in this Reserve are the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), the Puna flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), and the Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus).

Only few mammal species live in the reserve, predominantly rodents such as the Peruvian mountain vizcacha (Lagidium peruanum), the wild guinea pig (Cavia tschudii) and the Andean fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus).Being one of the main elements of the ecosystem cycle, the vegetation in the lake has been classified as amphibious, submerged and floating. Its flora consists of 12 varieties of aquatic plants, such as the reed plant or cattail (Schoenoplectus totora), the pondweed or yana llacho (Elodea potamogeton), the duckweed (Lemna sp.), and the muskgrass (Chara sp).

The reserve has also more than 64 genuses of riverside flora.The main objectives of the Titicaca National Reserve are to conserve its flora, fauna, and beautiful sceneries; to preserve natural resources such as the reed plant or cattail, which is home to a great diversity of species; to support the socio-economic development of the surrounding villages through the rational use of wildlife; and to promote local tourism without disturbing the cultural traditions of people inhabiting this area.