Location Tumbes Region, Peru Established 1994 | Area 751 km² | |
 | ||
The Tumbes National Reserve is a 751 km2 (290 sq mi) coastal ecological reserve in the Tumbes Region of northern Peru, near the border of Ecuador.
Its purpose is to protect both animal and floral species found in the subtropical, relatively hilly dry tropical forest, species that developed in these unique environmental conditions, separated from similar Amazonian species from the Andes Mountains. These species include the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata), the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), the jaguar (Panther onca), and the huamburushu or margay (Leopardus wiedii), along with others.
The Tumbes National Reserve and its two neighboring protected areas, Peru's Cerros de Amotape National Park and the El Angolo Game Preserve, make up the Noroeste Biosphere Reserve. The Cerros de Amotape park is considered the core zone, and the game preserve and Tumbres Reserved Zone are considered buffers. This ecoregion scheme has been recognized by UNESCO.