Cayambe-Coca Nature Reserve, Ecuador Photograph by © WWF-Canon/Kevin SCHAFER   Western South America: Central Ecuador into Colombia Montane Grasslands and Shrublands   11,600 square miles (30,000 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Hawaii Relatively Stable/Intact

· Location and General Description
· Biodiversity Features
· Current Status
· Threats
· Ecoregion Justification
· References
More Photos

This ecoregion occurs in elevational, mountaintop patches between treeline and the permanent snowline, from northern central Colombia, down the Andean Cordillera to Central Ecuador. This is an extensive ecoregion with a diversity of vegetation types within its parameters, however they all share the characteristic páramo vegetation; high alpine grasslands, bunchgrass, bogs, and open meadows. Although these areas have proven resilient to the influence of man, their capacities are being forced to their limit by burning, grazing, and farming.

Location and General Description

Biodiversity Features

Current Status

Types and Severity of Threats

Justification of Ecoregion Delineation

This extensive páramo ecoregion extends along the high Andes through Ecuador and Colombia. Linework was derived from the UNESCO (1980) classification of "Andean caespintose herbaceous open community with or without woody plants (dry páramo)". Linework was later reviewed and modified by expert opinion at a priority setting workshop for ecoregion conservation (Bogota, Colombia, 24-26 July, 2000).

References

Complejo Ecoregional de los Andes del Norte (CEAN). Experts and ecoregional priority setting workshop. Bogota, Colombia, 24-26, July, 2000.

UNESCO. 1980. Vegetation map of South America. Map 1:5,000,000. Institut de la Carte Internationale de Tapis Vegetal. Toulouse, France.

For more general information on this ecoregion, go to the WildWorld version of this description.