Rio Abiseo National Park, Peru Photograph by © WWF-Canon/André BÄRTSCHI   Eastern South America: Eastern slopes of the central Andes in Peru Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   72,100 square miles (186,700 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Indiana Critical/Endangered

· Mountain Tanagers to Mouse Opossums
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Mountain Tanagers to Mouse Opossums

If you were to climb through the central valleys and up the eastern slopes of the central Andes of Peru, you'd discover a variety of different habitats. At the lowest elevations, you'd find lush forests decked out with mosses, lichens, and epiphytes. Higher up, you'd wander through fog-shrouded cloud forests. And at the highest elevations, you'd notice the dense forests giving way to puna grasslands and scrub forests. Throughout your strenuous hike, you'd be rewarded by the sights and sounds of many different life forms, from the endangered golden-backed mountain tanager to a mouse opossum found nowhere else on Earth.

Special Features

The Peruvian Yungas is a subtropical ecoregion. Because of the dramatic changes in elevation throughout the ecoregion, precipitation varies widely from 20 to 80 inches (500 to 2000 mm) annually. Deciduous trees occur in dry habitat, but otherwise the region has dense evergreen vegetation. Overall, species diversity is high, with many species being endemic.

	The northern pudu is the smallest deer in the Americas. It is less than 13 inches (35 cm) tall at the shoulder and weighs only 11 pounds (5 kg). This small deer is endemic to forests in the high Andes.

Wild Side

In this rugged ecoregion, endemic yellow-browed toucanets flit through the treetops and call back and forth with their raucous cries. At night, round-eared bats perch on palm fronds and gorge themselves on fig fruits growing in a tree nearby. Blue morpho butterflies add brilliant color and brightness to the gloomy understory. Many threatened and endemic birds occur in this area, including the black-winged parrot, bay-vented cotinga, marvelous spatuletail, large-footed tapaculo, and Inca flycatcher. The smallest deer in the Americas, the regionally endemic northern pudu, can be found nibbling fresh shoots of piper plants, while long-tailed weasels sniff for lizards in rotting tree stumps.

Cause for Concern

The Peruvian Yungas ecoregion is still relatively undisturbed as a habitat. Deforestation of the ecoregion is moderate, occurs mostly below 6,600 feet (2000 m), and is most extensive in the Marañon Valley and other river valleys in the area. The rugged nature of the landscape has added some protection, but recent human settlement and expansion have brought extensive clearing for grazing and agriculture, especially of coffee and illegal coca.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.