Maquipucuna is a 6,000 hectare (14,820 acre)

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

reserve in

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. Located in the Pichincha Province, it is the closest pristine rainforest to

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

, Ecuador's capital. The reserve consists of

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and secondary

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

rain forest and cloud forest."Maquipucuna Reserve"
, ''

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

'', Retrieved on 27 September 2012. The Maquipucuna Reserve is located in the parish of Nanegal, within the Metropolitan District of Quito.

Life

The reserve includes four different habitat zones, from 900 to 2,785 meters above sea level, and is home to a vast diversity of flora and fauna. Located within the Chocó-Andean Corridor, it is in an area known by scientists as one of the world's top five biodiversity hotspots."Sacred Earth Travel"
. Retrieved on 27 September 2012

Birds

Maquipucuna harbors 4% of the world's bird biodiversity, including the toucan barbet, cock-of-the-rock, plate-billed mountain toucan, lanceolated monklet, Esmeraldas antbird, red-headed barbet, and golden-headed quetzal."Welcome to Maquipucuna"
Retrieved on 22 enero 2013

Mammals

At least 45 different species of mammals, such as the

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

anteater Anteaters are the four extant mammal species in the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue"), commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with sloths, they ar ...

, agouti, kinkajou, puma, and 19 species of

bats Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

have been sighted."45 different mammals"
. Retrieved on 22 enero 2013 South America's only surviving bear species, the Andean bear, can be found in Maquipucuna during the fruiting season of a small avocado (November and December). The bear is classified as vulnerable, largely due to habitat loss. "Spectacled Bear". Retrieved on 22 enero 2013

Amphibians

Frog '' Hyloxalus maquipucuna'' was described from Maquipucuna in 1995, is named after it, and is still only known from the reserve.

Plants

More than 2,000 species of plants have been identified in the reserve. Because of its immense plant diversity, Dr Grady L Webster termed Maquipucuna 'the crown jewel of the Andes' and Quito, the "world capital of biodiversity'.

History

Archaeological studies indicate the pre-Incan Yumbos people once inhabited the land that is today Maquipucuna. There are pathways, burial mounds, and ceramics that can still be found in the area.Justicia, Fernando
"Maquipucuna Reserve"
, '' Planeta'', Retrieved on 27 September 2012. The main pre-Inca trail found at Maquipucuna is believed to lead to Cachillacta, or the land of salt. The Maquipucuna area was very important before colonial times, circa 1500 BC, because it was arguably the main sources of salt for the chiefdom in Quito.

References

{{Protected areas of Ecuador Rainforests Nature reserves in Ecuador Geography of Pichincha Province Protected areas established in 1987 1987 establishments in Ecuador