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 (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

reserve in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. Located in the

Pichincha Province Pichincha () is a province of Ecuador located in the northern Sierra region; its capital and largest city is Quito. It is bordered by Imbabura and Esmeraldas to the north, Cotopaxi and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the south, Napo and ...

, it is the closest pristine rainforest to

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on ...

, 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 Works ...

and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

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

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

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

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

Metropolitan District of Quito Quito, officially the Metropolitan District of Quito ( es, Distrito Metropolitano de Quito), is a canton in the province of Pichincha, Ecuador. Governance The canton is governed by the same mayor and city council that govern the city 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 A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the ...

."Sacred Earth Travel"
. Retrieved on 27 September 2012

Birds

Maquipucuna harbors 4% of the world's bird biodiversity, including the

toucan barbet The toucan barbet (''Semnornis ramphastinus'') is a Ramphastides, barbet native to western Ecuador and Colombia. Along with the prong-billed barbet, it forms the family Semnornithidae, and is closely related to the toucans. It is a medium-sized ...

cock-of-the-rock The cocks-of-the-rock, which compose the genus ''Rupicola'', are large cotingid birds native to South America. The first alleged examples of this species were documented during a research expedition led by the explorer and biologist Sir Joshua W ...

plate-billed mountain toucan The plate-billed mountain toucan (''Andigena laminirostris'') is a species of bird in the family Ramphastidae. It is native to the west slope of Ecuador and extreme southern Colombia, where it lives in the high-altitude humid mountain forests of ...

, lanceolated monklet, Esmeraldas antbird,

red-headed barbet The red-headed barbet (''Eubucco bourcierii'') is a species of bird in the family Capitonidae, the New World barbets. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Taxonomy and systematics The red-headed bar ...

, and

golden-headed quetzal The golden-headed quetzal or corequenque (''Pharomachrus auriceps'') is a strikingly coloured bird in the genus ''Pharomachrus''; it is also referred to as ''Trogon auriceps''. It is found in moist mid-elevation forests from eastern Panama to nor ...

."Welcome to Maquipucuna"
Retrieved on 22 enero 2013

Mammals

At least 45 different species of mammals, such as the

armadillo Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, alo ...

anteater Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of 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 wit ...

agouti The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced ...

kinkajou The kinkajou ( /ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ ''KING-kə-joo''; ''Potos flavus'') is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus ''Potos'' ...

, puma, and 19 species of

bats Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". 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 bir ...

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