The national Park of Alto Purus was established the 20th of November of 2004 by means of Supreme Decree N 040-2004-AG. This Natural Area protected by the Peruvian state is found in the Provinces of Purs and Atalaya (Department of Ucayali) and the Province of Tahuaman (Department of Madre de Dios). It has a total are of 2510694.41 has.

The territory of Alto Purs contemplates a harmonious relation between man and nature within its geography, housing significant natural and aesthetic values, as well as being a cultural reservoir of mankind, where aboriginal ethnic have secluded themselves in voluntary isolation from the modern world. (the Yora and Yine linguistic groups).

The Alto Purus National Park contributes in an effective way to preserve the biological diversity, and to broaden the measures aimed to protect the territorial ambit which is the home to the ethnic groups undergoing voluntary isolation. And it was because it holds a huge biological diversity from many different of ecosystems, and astonishingly beautiful settings, that is was identified as a priority for the conservation of Peru's biological diversity, as stated in the Directive Plan approved by Supreme Decree N 010-99-AG.

The physical environment is made by a geomorphologic setting presenting two predominant shapes: the alluvial plain with flat and a little steep surfaces, which is rather unstable due to the rivers and the meander activity of the system, and the undulating hillocks cut by very steep slopes. The soils have a fine to mid texture with an acid to very acid reaction, low natural fertility and variable depth.

Holdridge (1978) and ONREN (1976), distinguish the following life areas in the National Park of Alto Purus:

1. Very Misty Pre-Mountainous Tropical Forest, with bio temperatures between 18.5 and 25.6 C and total annual rains ranging from 2193 to 4376 mm. Amongst the flora species characteristic of this area we have the mohenas of the Lauraceae family, the Persea spp or avocados, Ocotea spp or Red arura, Nectandra spp or Lance tree genus; and mainly the congona or cow tree (Brosimum sp.), the mashonaste or Camphorwood (Clarisia sp.) and the tornillo tree (Cedrelinga catenaeformis).
   
   
2. Misty Pre-Mountainous Tropical Forest, with bio temperatures going from 17.2 to 24.9 C, and total annual precipitations ranging between 936 and 1968 mm. Its representative trees are the tornillo, the congona and the cedar.
   
   
3. Misty Tropical Forest, with average bio temperatures between 23.2 and 25.7 C, and total annual rains from 1916 to 3420 mm. In this type of forest we find mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), cedar (Cedrela odorata), ceiba (Chorisia integrifolia), cumala or Virola tree (Virola spp.) and lagarto caspi or white cypress pine (Calophyllum brasiliensis).
   
   
4. Misty Tropical Forest Transitional to Very Misty Subtropical Forest. Its average bio temperatures oscillate between 22.5 and 24 C, and total annual rains between 2300 and 2600 mm.

Other flora species are the paca bamboos of the guadua spp., palm trees such as the pona or stilt palm(Iriartea spp.), the huasai or variegated mountain cabbage palm (Euterpe precatoria), the shapaja palm (Sheelea cephalotes) and the pijuayo or peach palm (Bactris gasipaes). In the shores, the plants found are the caa brava or arrow grass (Gynerium sagittatum), the pjaro Bobo or river alder (Tessaria integrifolia) and the cecropia (Cecropia spp).

The fauna is also very diversified, being its typical species the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), the puma (Puma concolor), the jaguar (Pantera onca) and the giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis). Amongst the ungulates we have the peccary (Tayassu spp.), the deer (Mazama spp.) and the tapir (Tapirus terrestris). Amongst the rodents we have the pacas or agoutis (Agouti paca), the aujes or agoutis (Dasiprocta spp.), and the capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris). The primates are such as the emperor tamarin or pichico (Saguinus imperator), the black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus), the coto or red howler monkey (Alouata seniculus), the machines or capuchin monkeys (Cebus spp.) and the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus).