Under a strong collaborative effort between different organizations, researchers and decision makers, with more than 40 experts from various countries as authors, the book: «Los Páramos de Ecuador: Pasado, Presente y Futuro» (Ecuador’s Paramos: Past, Present and Future) is born. This extraordinary team work presents a comprehensive vision of Ecuador’s paramos, from their complexity as an ecosystem and biome, to their cultural importance for local communities.
Each of its twelve chapters focuses on a different aspect of its intricate reality. The first chapter discusses the complexity of the paramo concept, from its definition as an ecosystem to its cultural and historical importance. The following chapters analyze issues such as biodiversity, hydrology, environmental management, governance and threats to its integrity, among others. An entire chapter is devoted to the impacts of climate change due to the extreme vulnerability of this high mountain biome. The editors close the book with a reflection on the positive and negative aspects of their current management, and the prospects for their future in a context of global change.
With this comprehensive overview, quality information supported by numerous studies and beautiful photographs, this book is a valuable reference for researchers, students and anyone interested in the sustainable development of the Andean region and the conservation of the paramos, one of the most important and fragile ecosystems of our planet.
