National Parks in Latin America

Due to its immense area, Latin America is home to many national parks which home tropical rainforests, mountain ranges, grasslands, deserts, rivers, seas and an abundance of flora and fauna.

Six of the top ten biodiverse countries are in Latin America: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The same six countries feature in the top ten list of countries with the most bird species.

Iguazu

The Amazon river (by volume of water) and its rainforest are both the biggest in the world. The river is home to 2500 known species of fish and a number of endangered water creatures including the Amazonian Manatee - the largest mammal found in Amazon waters, the Amazon Pink River Dolphin and the carnivorous Pirarucu fish that has swum the Earth since the Jurassic period.

The Amazon rainforest produces 20 percent of the world's oxygen and comprises just over half of the world's rainforest in the eight countries of South America who house it: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname.

Latin America is home to many endangered species on the verge of extinction. Deforestation and loss of habitat are the main causes and scientists estimate that 137 species disappear from the planet every day.

The establishment of national parks and nature reserves helps to preserve an area's biodiversity, save wildlife from extinction and protect it from harmful human activity.