Cloud forest
The slopes of the Andes are dressed with a wonderful dense
ecosystem: the cloud forest.
This ecosystem, also called "Andean eyebrow" due
to its generous vegetation, is one of the most diverse in
the world. Many of its characteristics are similar to the
rain forest.
However, since it's not flat but on a slope, the sunrays
are able to penetrate deeper inside the forest, thus giving
place to exuberant and unique life forms.
The cloud forest is perhaps the ecosystem that holds the
greatest variety of birds and plants in the world. Of the
32 Bird World Life Zones, 26 are found in Ecuador. Although
this small country occupies approximately 0.02% of the world's
land surface, it holds about 10% of all the bird species
of the planet. Many of these species are endemic to the
different ecosystem found in the country, especially to
the unique and rare cloud forests.
This ecosystem includes many species from the rain
forest, some from the highlands, and others that have evolved
to its unique conditions. Some of the most impressive bird
species of the cloud forest are: Cock of the Rock, an abundance
of Hummingbirds, Tanagers, Mountain Toucans, Cotingas, Manakins,
among manyothers.
The vegetation is also surprisingly rich. Numerous epiphyte
species, including bounteous orchids and bromeliads, dress
up theses slopes. Currently it is believed by many scientists
that the largest number of orchid species is found in this
ecosystem, many of which remain undiscovered or unlabeled.
One of the most visited cloud forests in Ecuador is the
natural reserve Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest
(see
protected areas), ranging from approximately
1400 to 4789m of altitude on the slopes the Pichincha volcano.
In addition to the exuberance of its flora and fauna, a
number of waterfalls and small rivers are featured in this
site.
The town of Mindo (approximately a two hour drive from Quito)
has a beautiful orchid display, a butterfly center, and
other tourist and scientific attractions. Opportunities
for rafting or tubing over the wild and not-so-wild nearby
rivers are also offered.
The cloud forest is a unique ecosystem: a paradise for nature
lovers and scientist... Adventure yourself into an exorbitant
and unexplored biodiversity!.
Text by: Cristina Vallejo D.
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