Ecosystem Services & Conservation Value
In addition to its diverse cultural landscapes and extreme natural beauty, the Nudo del Azuay also provides important ecosystem services, primarily biodiversity, watershed/hydrological services, and carbon sequestration. A comprehensive review of these services and other conservation value can be found in Fundacíon Cordillera Tropical (2009), although a brief overview is provided here.
Biodiversity
The Nudo del Azuay contains the largest contiguous areas of native forest and páramo remaining in the Paute river watershed (PRW), and serves as a biological transition zone between the northern and southern Andes cordillera mountain range. It is also an Andes Hot Spot and area of high endemism. Both The Nature Conservancy and EcoCiencia have identified it as being among the 10 ‘hottest’ Hot Spots of the Cordillera Real Oriental, and the most biodiverse area in the PRW. The NDA is also home to populations of important endangered mammals, including the tapir, Andean spectacled bear, condor, and puma. The area is also formally recognized by Conservation International and BirdLife International, as it forms habitat for a great variety of birds, including 195 registered species, 155 of which are only found in the upper Mazar sub-watershed.