NATURE AT CHOQUEQUIRAO For nature lovers Choquequirao is much more than a set of stone and adobe buildings on the side of a mountain overlooking the Apurimac valley. This magical place, which appears to be almost suspended from the sleep western slopes of Vilcabamba range, is really an excellent example of what Peru has to offer in terms of natural and cultural diversity. A variety of species and scenery together with the imposing archaeological remains left by the ancient inhabitants of this area. Its strategic location means that this singular sanctuary encompasses what could be considered one of the most extraordinary variations of ecosystems anywhere in Peru; in only a few miles it includes mountains permanently covered with snow almost 19 700 feet high and steamy tropical valleys little more than 5 900 feet above sea level. ECOSYSTEMS, FLORA AND FAUNA The few scientific studies that have been carried out in this area reveal the existence of numerous well-defined life zones, the most relevant from ecological point of view being the Andean grassland, highland dwarf forest and the jungle or "yunga" on the mountain sides. The great variety of ecological floors or habitats is home to an astonishing diversity of species of flora and fauna, perfectly adapted to the specific conditions of each habitat. The natural world of Choquequirao begins, then, above 13 100 ft. a.s.l., where the wind blows continually over the plains of ichu grass and the rocks are covered with linchen and moss. The Andean plateau, the puna, is as ancient (it is thought to have developed in the middle of the Tertiary period) as it is hostile to life (the name means sickness - altitude sickness). This is the world of the Andean condor and the taruka, the largest and most elusive of the Andean deer, the Andean fox or atoj and the related añas the playful viscacha (a rodent native to the highlands) and the small wild cat or oscollo, not to mention the puma or mountain lion. It is a world of small delicate flowers with intense and beautiful colors which recall the ponchos worn by the country people. It is a world were the temperature variations are so enormous that only a few creatures manage the survive: burning sun during the day and freezing at night. If we continue with our imaginary descent we come to a zone where the cold wind from the snowy mountains meets the warm one rising from the valley, to form a strange and exuberant world in miniature. This is the dwarf forest with the twisted tress, where the dimensions of the plants appear to have been inverted with some quirk of nature: here the trees are small and the mosses gigantic, deer such as the pudu or sachacabra, grow to barely 8 inches high while the humming birds are big as pigeons. This is the land of bromelias and rare flowers such as the bomarea or sullun sullu. It is also the home of the Andean bear or ucumari and the highland toucan. Somewhat lower, in the creek beds, it is damp the whole year through and it rains more often than anywhere else in Peru. This is the highland forest, visible only from time to time when the mysterious shroud of mist that covers it opens up to reveal a magical and marvelous view. The climate is benign and temperate: cool nights and warm days, a combination in which the plants produce a symphony of form and color. Here you can't find flowers that are more beautiful than those of the tropics: gigantic begonias and ferns the size of trees; amazingly shaped Orchids (of which there are more than a hundred species here, including the spectacular wakanki - meaning "you will weep" in quechua - and winay wayna - always young - and delicate bells full of nectar for which a legion of bees, beetles and humming birds vie; heliotrope resembling wax figures and others of the mallow family which look like the masks used in the Andean village ceremonies. This is also the home of the gallito de las rocas, the choro monkey, the quetzal, and more. Finally, at the bottom of the valley where the temperature is regulated by the river running through it, the mountain forest provides ideal conditions for an enormous variety of crops: coca, achiote, maize, cacao, coffee and fruit. This was the Incas' larder from which they took they prized fruit, and so it is to this day for people who live nearby. A land of bamboo woods which flower after many decades only to die all at once, as if in response to some strange order; a territory where the valleys widen and the rivers, having exhausted their fury give way to tranquil waters rich in nutrients, which lap at the feet of the mountains. This is, of course, the introduction to the great Amazon forest. CONSERVATION AND THREATS From an environment point of view, the principal value of this ecosystem is the role played by the exuberant forests higher up in the mountains in the maintaining the equilibrium of the water system of the region, taking rainwater and conducting it - without causing erosion - to the river Apurimac, if these were to disappear, many species of unique flora and fauna virtually unknown to science would go with them. Above all. however, an irreversible process of environmental deterioration would have begun and this would have devastating consequences for man, such as destruction of roads and crops, flooding and landslides. At present the main threat to this natural sanctuary is that of forest fires. Started by farmers in neighboring highland areas, seasonal burning - intended to renew natural pastures - spread out of control, helped by the fragility of the vegetation, to the lower slopes leading to the heart of the mountain forest. The fires destroys everything on their path, enormous areas of virgin forest until they are extinguish by the rain. In recent years fires have been of such magnitude that the devastation has even reached the boundary of the nearby sanctuary of Machu Picchu. Fortunately, the different bodies involved in the conservation and development of the Andean bains, with the assistance of international aid, are working on a plan involving multiple use of resources, instructing farmers about the dangers of the annual burning of pasture and offering non-destructive alternative way of using the area's resources by the inhabitants who depend on them.