The area of TCS has a unique concentration of flora and fauna, that includes emblematic species of mammals such as the Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), and the recently described “Olinguito” (Bassaricyon neblina) as well as endangered birds like the Black-breasted puffleg (Eriocnemis nigriventris), and others like the Cock of the rock (Rupicula Peruvian) and the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena laminirostris). Additionally, it protects countless species of insects, amphibians, and reptiles. The main threats to biodiversity are habitat degradation and fragmentation because of agriculture and cattle farming. These activities have been in the territory for several decades, but are aggravated by a recent aggressive policy of mining concessions and extraction in the Ecuadorian Andes. Thus, nowadays the Tandayapa Valley is a heterogeneous landscape, with a gradient that goes from pristine cloud forest to pasture lands, and mining as an imminent threat.
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