El Imposible National Park has inventory of trees amounts to more than 400 species, introducing greater diversity so far registered in the country. It has also two trees that have not been found in other forests: Red amaranth and the seven shirts, as well as a breeding ground for Motmot, a bird that was considered extinct in El Salvador.
In what is known as Uptown within the classification of mountain forests, the impossible is located between 1450 and 1200 meters on the sea level in the haciendas El Imposible, San Benito and El Salto, in the Department of Ahuachapan, in the southern foothills of the cordillera de Apaneca.
El Imposible National Park is so large (52,000 apples) which is divided into two sectors: La Fincona and San Benito. The impossible does honor to its name by the difficult of its slopes, the thick of its vegetation and the enormous proportion of its territory. These characteristics have led him to become the forest of greatest biodiversity in the country, where to find shelter several species that are almost extinct, which also caters to a 300 km (La bar de Santiago) basin that covers many municipalities.
The 5,776 hectares of forest, 3,570 correspond to national park and 2206 to private properties with Veda forest law regime. The Park is managed under an agreement of joint public-private management, through SalvaNatura and with support from the National Park Service and wild life of the Ministry of agriculture and livestock. The impossible plays also an important role of hydrological regulation, where dampens River floods in rainy season and storing water during the dry season.
A sanctuary of birds, mammals and plants
The impossible is characterized by very high biodiversity. In this area are most frequent vegetation height or temperate-zone trees. Surrounded by coffee plantations are found scattered oak groves and Bell South region includes three species: white oak, red oak and the belloto, as well as “alais” species, black arrayano, styrax, and trees such as aluminum, the barreto and the cuiliote.
It is considered that this area has 40% of original or primary forest, 30% of secondary forests (cleared or previously cultivated areas, as well as crops in abandonment) and 30% of cultivated areas. Evergreen and semi-evergreen vegetation predominates in the area.
The largest diversity of primitive plants (mosses and ferns) has been found in the upper parts and air plants or epiphytes (which require high availability of water for nine months or more).
In birds, the impossible has several species that are considered endangered in El Salvador, including there are several species that are here your unique registration or exclusive proof of existence, such as the King Vulture, White Hawk, black crested Eagle, forest necklace, caza-murcielagos Falcon, Falcon curassow (a bird considered extinct until it could reproduce in captivity thanks to the care of the Rangers) the kettle, the rail of forest, reddish pigeon or burgadora, yellow lora, spectacled owl, black and white owl, purple Hummingbird, Hummingbird throat Star Green Crown, coffee talapo, Toucan of low ground, small forest Carpenter, Mountaineer or red and black head carpenter, Carpenter peak of ivory the toledo and others.
In mammals, occupies the first place of registration of marsupials: Robinson, white tacuacines mouse opossum, black tacuacin or huron and other tacuacin-raton are common around the forest.
This forest also has what may be the last viable populations long-term of the Anteater tamandua or four fingers and the porcupine. Along with the Montecristo cloud forest has the last viable of “muyos”, skunks populations of white-backed, ocelot, margay and cuche’s collar mount.
Some animals begin to show a reaction to the measures of protection within the land acquired by the State, these include the pezotes, the micoleones, coffee squirrel and grey, the cotuzas and the cusucos. Other animals, such as the pacas and the white-tailed deer, have shown a very slow return, due to the excessively reduced that have been their populations by hunting.
Other species, such as Jack mount or grey Fox and the white opossum, seem to be suffering local depletions. Mammals such as the puma, ocelot, the margay and jaguarundi are still present.
The freshwater fish also reflect a low diversity and the causes appear to be the presence of small flow short rivers, which in turn are young geological age. Still stands the tepemechines, the write or fish lizard, common chimbolo, the chimbolo of seven points and the silver
However, trees, shrubs, insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, and some other groups shows a wide diversity.
