city, Jipiro Park covers more than 10 hectares, is home to various native bird species, and is notable for its scale reproductions of historic and cultural buildings. The park boasts a pagoda, mosque, St. Basil's cathedral, a medieval castle, and many more, as well as a lake for paddle-boating with an island aviary. La Banda Park Next to Jipiro on the eastern and western shores of the Rio Zamora, is a huge greenspace with a public carting race track, riding trails, an orchid nursery, and the Loja zoo. Parque Pucará de Podocarpus On a hill called Pucará de Podocarpus, this is a children's park with playground equipment and a beautiful scenic view. It is located on the city's former drinking water treatment plant. Jardín Botánico Reinaldo Espinosa Across the road from University Park is the botanical garden which is open to the public and the oldest in Ecuador, created in 1949. There are over 800 native and exotic species. It is a living laboratory for scientific research and environmental education. It covers an area of 7 hectares divided into 5 sections for viewing. Most of the trees in this garden are over 40 years old, and the park is one of the world's highest-altitude botanical gardens. Parque Universitario de Educación Ambiental y Recreación "Francisco Vivar Castro" Located opposite the Botanical Gardens about 5 km south of central Loja, the park covers 90 hectares and includes hiking trails, camping areas, and classrooms for environmental education. Education Loja has some of the top Universities in Ecuador. The Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja is one of the top 3 in the nation, offering local and distance education in different fields, such as Architecture, Medicine, Communications, Law, Accounting, Engineering, Auditing, Electronics and Telecommunications, Trades, Administration, Humanities, Biology, and many more. In September 2007, the UTPL adopted an academic model based on the European System of Credit Transfer and Accumulation (ECTS), which assesses the student's workload, in order to achieve the objectives of an academic program which are reflected in learning achievements and acquired competencies. This university has partnership programs with many universities around the world, such as the University of California at San Diego, Berkeley College, University of Frankfurt, Technische Universität München, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and many other top universities around the globe. In addition, the U.T.P.L has three international campuses, besides the principal one in Loja,