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The Ecuadorian paramo in danger: What we know and what might be learned from northern wetlands

Abstract:

The Paramo is a heterogeneous array of High Andean Mountain ecosystems above the tree line at elevations between 2800 and 5000 m. It unites characteristics of mountain ecosystems with those of wetlands, both of which are highly important in the context of global warming. It is considered the region with the highest global diversification rate on earth, capable of storing equally large amounts of soil organic carbon and vast quantities of water, forming wetlands within the paramo region, which are crucial for the sustainability of downslope Andean ecosystems and human settlements. These characteristics have attracted great scientific interest leading to an increase in publications, especially in the last decade. Nevertheless, the paramos diversity, difficult topology, latitudinal extension, location in developing countries, and the lack of historical data regarding the monitoring of soil characteristics, dynamics in …