A private foundation, World Land Trust, has purchased 264,000 acres of land around the Antisana volcano for preservation. The Equadorian government created an ecological reserve there in 1993 but it was mostly privately owned and managed for cattle ranching, resulting in conflicts between use and conservation of species such as the Andean condor and spectacled bear
[photo:wildlifeextra.com] The area features a succession of habitats from high altitude grasslands to cloud forests on the slopes descending into the Amazon basin. World Land Trust was joined by the Environmental Ministry and Quito's municipal water authority which purchased two haciendas, representing the largest land purchase for conservation by the Ecuadorian government. Because of the long history of cattle grazing, Antisana's habitats are significantly degraded, but the preservation purchases create an opportunity to restore the natural systems. Andean cloud forests are considered one of the richest habitats on the planet for biodiversity with many endemic species from rare orchids to endangered frogs. The paramo, or steppe region, is home to migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, puma and wolf.
