One of the rarest ecosystems in Ecuador has sprung back to life after the removal of non-native livestock, per a Mongabay report.
The páramo is a rare and highly diverse ecosystem found in the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Sitting at 3,000 to 5,000 meters above sea level, this tropical wetland grassland makes up less than 2% of the land in these mountains, per Science Direct.
Ecuador's Antisana páramo, located southeast of Quito, faced destruction from hundreds of cattle grazing the area for centuries. However, progressively removing the animals from the area became the catalyst for revival.
Geographer Alexander von Humboldt noted the abundant cattle population in 1802, which eventually converted wetlands to dry sandy flatland. The hooves from so many heavy and densely populated animals compacted the soil. As it dried out and couldn't maintain grass, it set the stage for sandstorms. More damage occurred from ranchers burning the land to create pasture space.
However, a transfer of land ownership, protection laws, and help from institutions like The Quito Water Conservation Fund (FONAG in Spanish) saved the páramo. The Public Metropolitan Drinking Water and Sanitation Company of Quito (EPMAPS in Spanish) bought the land from the sheep rancher. FONGAG and Antisana Water Conservation Area (ACHA in Spanish) also acquired some.
Healed soil sprouted native vegetation again, which attracted animals that had been previously driven away. Now the area once again has white-tailed deer, rabbits, foxes, and pumas. The ecosystem's food chain thrives from the balance of prey and predators.
Without all the sheep waste, the water cleared up enough for human consumption. According to the Nature Conservancy, páramos are critical water sources for tens of millions of people across South America. Thanks to cool mountain temperatures, water stays in the soil instead of evaporating. It then filters down to lower areas from rivers and streams, enabling it to reach a nearby city.
The paramos also help fight climate overheating by acting as major carbon sponges.
Bert De Bièvre, technical secretary at FONAG, told Mongabay that the bold revival of the Antisana páramo "gives us hope — restoration is possible."
Similar biological restoration has happened elsewhere, such as the return of bison to Montana tribal lands. A San Diego County restoration project created 64 acres of new salt marsh wetlands and 100 acres of upland vegetation.
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Individuals can practice ecological restoration by rewilding their yard. Consider rain gardens, which attract pollinators and filter local groundwater.
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