NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF NATURE CAMPAING; FRAUD?

Of the 261 finalists and the top 77 finalists shown on July 05 2009; the panel of experts of New7Wonders chose the 28 official finalists 4 days after (marked with red) in which strangely to shock the world do not appear:

Mount Everest the highest of the world with 8.848 m and the Colca Canyon the deepest of the world, with 4.160m.

BIODIVERSITY OF THE COLCA CANYON

Biodiversity refers to the variety of animals, plants and everything else that surrounds them, which is an undeniable aspect of the Colca Canyon, which currently hosts a large quantity of species of flora and fauna.

This special characteristic of the canyon occurs because Peru is located in the subtropical area of South America and it has a rugged geography, in addition, ocean currents and the air mass movements, create an incomparable ecological, climatic and geological variety.

The Colca Canyon is a synonym for extensive biodiversity, observations and studies in the canyon show the existence of an assorted flora and fauna, which given the particularities of the Andes, are fully adapted to extreme conditions of coldness and altitude.

FLORA

The existing flora in the Colca Canyon includes about 300 species, which are sometimes used as medicine, fuel, in dyeing and as a nutritious food for and wild and farm animals. The plant species consists of three groups: trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, these exist in different plant communities according to the altitude at which they are found.
In the area of the Colca Canyon, floristic species are varied, such as the cactus that grows and develops more easily in low areas near the river Colca and are locally known as: “Chiri-Chiris”(Grindelia bergii), “Corotillas”(Tephrocactus corotilla) , and Tuna (nopal). Shrubs grow in abundance in the valley such as the “Cantuta”(Cantua buxifolia , Cantua candelilla); the “Chillko” (Vulpia megalura); the “Chinchircuma” (Mutisia comptonaeoifolia) and “Sullun Sullu”(Alchemilla pinnata).

In the upland areas located more than 3500 meters above sea level, the “ichu” (Stipa ichu, Stipa obtuse), dominates the landscape giving the appearance of a land covered by tall usually yellow colored grasses.

The land over 4000 meters high is the habitat of rural meadows and Polylepis, a kind of trees and shrubs known in Quechua as “Queñuales”, wetlands and swampy areas are also found here.

In the higher plant community known as Yaretal located over 4500 meters above sea level, grows an extraordinary plant with a cushion form and which grows up to 1 m tall known as yareta (Azorella yarita, Azorella diapensoides). Yareta has managed to survive in a place of critical conditions and extreme cold and grows at a slow rate of one millimeter per year.

FAUNA

Wildlife is just as extensive and varied as flora, including 32 species of mammals, 5 carnivores, over 130 species of birds, rodents, amphibians and reptiles. The canyon and its surroundings are home to an important, substantial and diverse fauna, specially adapted to the environment of the Andes and its extreme aridity.

A species considered as representative of the Andes is the majestic Condor(Vultur gryphus), known as the king of birds, it is here in this deep canyon where this scavenger bird is flourishes given the ideal conditions it finds.

In the skies of the valley there are also a variety of species of birds such as eagles, hawks and eaglets; “lique-liques” (Vanellus resplendens) and “yanavicos”(Plegadis ridgwayi). Birds of all sizes, shapes and colors, make the colca canyon worthy of the title of bird observatory.

The giant hummingbird deserves special mention as it’s the largest in the world, 23 cm long including the thick 3.5 cm long peak. These special birds have developed a unique feeding strategy. They have long peaks and a tongue even longer, which are inserted into certain tubular flowers that can only feed them. The plant attracts them with its color and gives them its sweet nectar in exchange for this, the hummingbirds carry pollen to other flowers allowing the polenization of the flowers. They feed especially on the flowers of cacti and “Cantuta”.

On the high lands of the canyon you can find two species of wild cameloids, the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), whose herds find food in the semi desert regions and the vicuñas (Lama vicugna), clustered around areas of abundant meadow. The “tarukas”(Hippocamelus antisensis) are unique mammals from the high Andes. In dry periods they descend to the crops near the villages in search of food. The White-tailed deer or Grey Deer that is widely distributed throughout the Americas is found in the lower parts of the Colca Valley especially in the towns of Huambo and Cabanaconde.

Among the most important carnivores in the Colca valley you can find: the fearsome puma, the wild cat or "Osjollo" (Felis colocolo), the Andean fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus), recognized as the most significant predator of the Andes, the skunk or “añas”, and the weasel known as "Achocalla”.

The Puma is the largest animal in the canyon and therefore demands enormous quantities of food. It is solitary and is remarkable adaptative to to different environments. Their scarcity in the Colca is due to the little food they hunt here. They feed on animals including foxes and wild cats.

The “viscachas” (Lagidium peruanum) are very abundant in this region especially in rocky areas of the high Andes. Their appearance is quite similar to a rabbit, but with a long and hairy tail. It appears to be the main victim of carnivores such as foxes and birds of prey. They live by eating many plant species of their surroundings and have a habit of sunbathing in the morning.

Reptiles and amphibians are rather scarce in this part of the country, represented by three amphibians and five reptiles.

THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF THE COLCA VALLEY.

Article published in "Atlas Departmental del Peru: Arequipa - Moquegua, 2003" by La República.
Chronicles say that two very different ethnic groups have inhabited the region since time immemorial. They arrived there from distant places and displaced the first settlers thanks to their military power and their skills in the use of tools and farming techniques.

The “Collaguas" stated that they were children of the volcano “Collaguata” and that they came from the bowels of the earth. The legend says that "they all came out with their weapons, costumes and headdresses, and went down the slopes of the mountain conquering the region." A characteristic feature was the singular form of their heads, which were deformed as newborns to imitate the figure of the volcanic cone which they consider as a guardian “apu”.

It is said that the second group, called the “Cabana”, came from the depths of the mount Hualca Hualca. They also deformed the skulls of their infants, but in a manner contrary to their neighbours, they adopted a flattened shape similar to the outline of their "pacarina" or birth mountain.

An additional difference between the groups of the region was the language. The Collaguas spoke Aymara and the Cabanas spoke Quechua, slightly different from the one spoken in Cuzco.

Despite the presence of the Colca River that crossed their settlements, the ancient inhabitants of the Colca valley were denied the possibility of using these waters to irrigate their fields, the reason was that the river flowed at the bottom of a deep canyon, thousands of meters below land. Their water, which was essential to life and sustenance of their villages, originated in the snows of the mountain, so they decided to put together their ingenuity so they could run this essential liquid through extensive canals and aqueducts, and transport it to their crops.

They learned that they should use many different ecological or altitudinal levels, achieving a diversity of crops and food surpluses that enabled them to establish themselves as the absolute masters of the region.

However, the complex geography of their territory was for the ancient men of the Colca Valley a source of challenge. This encouraged the development of a special system of farms in platforms which still continues to surprise anyone who is lucky enough to see them.

Translated by: Isabella Anne Farrell Abarca

THE HEADWATERS OF THE AMAZON

Article published in "Atlas Departmental del Peru: Arequipa - Moquegua, 2003" by “La Republican”.

Since 1542, when Captain Francisco de Orellana began his journey that led him to follow the Amazon across the current territories of Peru and Brazil, countless epeditions tried to understand the origins of this lush and mysterious river. Numerous attempts have resulted in discarding the tributaries of the Marañón as the furthest tributaries because the giant Ucayali largely exceeds its length.

Subsequent studies give a closer approximation: The emerging streams of the Apurímac were the most distant tributaries of the Amazon. Only the exact location needs to be established.

It was not until the twentieth century that this mystery would be solved. In 1971, a group of scientists sponsored by the National Geographic and led by Loren McIntyre stated that the headwaters of the Amazon were two small lakes which originated from the meltwaters of mount Mismi, located in the province of Caylloma.

Years later, in 1996, an international team formed by Zaniel Novoa, Jaececk Palkiewicz, Faura Guillermo Raul Rojas, Juan Luis Tord, Renzo Grego, Sergei Ushnursev and Rima Chajrutdinova indicated that the magnificent rivers source starts in Apacheta stream, located at Mount Quehuisha about 5170m above sea level.

The climbers stated that they discovered a new source that extended the river about 740 kilometers, thereby making the Amazon 7 020km long, not only is it biggest river, but also the longest river on the planet. The discovery was not recognized officially that year.

The discrepancies were not resolved, in December 2000, a team from the National Geographic Society under the command of Andrew Pietowski Mathematics, using the work of Mclntyre, confirmed the exact point where the Amazon, the biggest river in the world, is born. According to this expedition, the origin of the river is 5597 meters above sea level in a stream on mount Mismi in the Andes of southern Peru. This time, the explorers used satellite navigation equipment allowing them to make accurate maps of the studied area.

While researchers say the issue is not closed and there may be disagreement over the origin of the planet's largest river, the issue that has never been denied is that the origin of the Amazon river is Arequipa.

Translated by: Isabella Anne Farrell Abarca

YARETA

Article published in "Atlas Departmental del Peru: Arequipa - Moquegua, 2003" by La República.

In the middle of the desolated Andean “puna” grasslands, some curious green forms have caught the attention of many travellers, they are known as “yareta”, an almost miraculous plant that has managed to colonize an environment where other plants die.
This plant belongs to the umbellifer family, the yareta (Azorella yareta) is a species so adapted to life in stunning conditions that any other plant would perish.

Its habitat is the cold “punas” of the high Andes of southern Peru usually above 3800 meters, where the wind blows unceasingly and the cold cracks even granite. “Yareta” grows on rocks and follows the contours from where it began to grow, which is the reason why it has a singular and round form. This is a response to its need to resist the powerful high altitude wind, which would tear up the roots of any plant.

Living so close to the sky involves exposure to intense solar radiation; therefore, the yareta has covered its tiny leaves with a substance similar to wax, which prevents moisture loss through evaporation. Apart from its colourful appearance, it has developed a truly special way to survive: it must grow at an incredibly slow pace, almost geological, of a millimetre per year.

Despite what might seem to be the inaccessibility of the areas where “yareta” grows, this has not prevented it from being a victim of the devastation caused by man. It’s used as fuel in the mountains was so intense, that large areas of “yareta” are missing. During the nineteenth century, this plant was also used for industrial fuel, such as the Arica-La Paz railway that employed yareta as its basic component.

Fortunately today “yareta” is protected in natural reserves such as “Salinas” and “Aguada Blanca”, even though its indiscriminate use in cities such as Arequipa and Puno impede its absolute recovery.

Translated by: Isabella Anne Farrell Abarca