The main attraction while visiting Cotopaxi is the perfectly cone-shaped volcano that is 19,347 feet above sea level, affectionately known as the “throat of the world”. But along the way, another landscape is worthy of one’s time. Above timberline in Ecuador lies a very important ecosystem that holds water for entire cities.
The Paramo grasslands are a transition between the farms and cities of Ecuador, and the explosive volcanoes that inhabit the region. This area is covered in grasses and shrubs, but scarred with tears from pyroclastic flows and car-sized boulders ejected by volcanos. These flows radiate out from a central cone, and make deep cuts in the earth’s surface through extreme decompression when lava mixes with the snow.
What makes these high grasslands so important is their capacity to hold water. These grasslands are able to hold a lot of water because of the soil and plants that exist there. The soil is made mostly from the volcanic ash which is made up of clay sized particles that hold water. The plants prevent water from evaporating. The Paramo is separated into two categories based on elevation. Starting around 3500 meters is the sub-Paramo, home to most of the larger shrubs, bushes, and grasses. In the super-Paramo, starting at roughly 14,800 feet, only 12 different species exist.
These grasslands had a lasting impression on me because of the diversity of life they are able to support compared to ecosystems at the same elevation in Colorado. Life in the Paramo seemed to be thriving compared to Colorado’s tundra. Even in Rocky Mountain National Park the tundra seems to struggle to persist. Signs are located throughout the various tundra hikes, high on Trial Ridge Road, informing visitors of the fragile ecosystem they tread upon. The Paramo is different - it thrives in extreme conditions that exist two miles above sea level.
