The name was modified to Pampa Galeras-Bárbara D'Achille National Reserve, in memory of the journalist who used to write the ecological section for El Comercio newspaper.
This reserve has 6 500 hectares of land that belongs to the rural community of Lucanas, located in the department of Ayacucho, in the province and district of Lucanas. Its area of influence shelters a considerable group of rural communities.The management of its fauna started in 1965, and the restoration of the vicuña population has been made possible after more than 30 years of constant work. This recovery has been achieved by controlling poaching, banning the international trade of vicuña fiber and by obtaining technical and financial assistance to promote those actions.
The typical grassland in the Reserve is known as the pajonal, formed by diverse species of Poaceae such as Festuca sp., Stipa ichu, and Calamagrostis sp.These plants grow in large and dispersed groups, being the shrub-like and sub shrub-like species the most predominant: the tola (Lepidophyllum quadrangulare) and the Senecio sp. In the rocky valleys it is possible to find relict forests of queñual (Polylepis sp.) and quishuar or butterfly bush (Buddleja sp).The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is the most abundant and representative species in Pampa Galeras, and the creation of this reserve was driven by the need to protect and preserve this species.Another important species is the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), which is one of the South American camelidae living in a natural state, like the vicuña.Other mammals that can be found in the Reserve are the Andean fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus), the Peruvian mountain vizcacha (Lagidium peruanum), the Peruvian guemal or taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis), the opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), and the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata).
The typical grassland in the Reserve is known as the pajonal, formed by diverse species of Poaceae such as Festuca sp., Stipa ichu, and Calamagrostis sp.These plants grow in large and dispersed groups, being the shrub-like and sub shrub-like species the most predominant: the tola (Lepidophyllum quadrangulare) and the Senecio sp. In the rocky valleys it is possible to find relict forests of queñual (Polylepis sp.) and quishuar or butterfly bush (Buddleja sp).The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is the most abundant and representative species in Pampa Galeras, and the creation of this reserve was driven by the need to protect and preserve this species.Another important species is the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), which is one of the South American camelidae living in a natural state, like the vicuña.Other mammals that can be found in the Reserve are the Andean fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus), the Peruvian mountain vizcacha (Lagidium peruanum), the Peruvian guemal or taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis), the opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), and the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata).
The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is the most impressing bird because of its great wingspan. Other species that can be observed are the ornate tinamou (Nothoprocta ornata) and the Puna tinamou (Tinamotis pentlandii). In the aquatic environment we can observe the yellow-billed pintail (Anas georgica) and the speckled Andean teal (Anas flavirostris).The main objective of the Pampa Galeras-Bárbara D'Achille National Reserve is to develop a program to research, preserve, and protect the vicuña as a native and representative species of the country.
