. Cloud Forest Agenda. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 20. Cloud forest agenda CASE STUDY: THE RESILIENT QUENOAL MOUNTAIN CLOUD FORESTS OF THE HIGH PERUVIAN ANDES J Polylepis, known in native Qechua as Quenoal, is a unique type of mountain cloud forest in the Andes. There are 20 species of Polylepis trees, one of which is the highest growing angiosperm on the planet, reaching an altitude of 5200 metres in Bolivia. These are environments where freezing nights throughout the year and high insolation of soils create con- ditions that are particularly adverse to the growth of trees. Hence the peculi
. Cloud Forest Agenda. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 20. Cloud forest agenda CASE STUDY: THE RESILIENT QUENOAL MOUNTAIN CLOUD FORESTS OF THE HIGH PERUVIAN ANDES J Polylepis, known in native Qechua as Quenoal, is a unique type of mountain cloud forest in the Andes. There are 20 species of Polylepis trees, one of which is the highest growing angiosperm on the planet, reaching an altitude of 5200 metres in Bolivia. These are environments where freezing nights throughout the year and high insolation of soils create con- ditions that are particularly adverse to the growth of trees. Hence the peculiar adaptive features of Polylepis species include twisted branching, dwarfed size and multiple layers of peeling bark to protect trees from the cold. ? There are 93 700 hectares of Polylepis forests in highland Peru, mostly in patches which are typically less than 30 hectares each. Trees growing at this attitude provide habitat to 25 highland bird species that are endemic to these forests. The understorey of Polylepis forests is associated with wild relatives of Andean food crops, including wild relatives of potatoes and other Andean tubers, as well as medicinal plants. J Given the observed high rates of glacier loss in the Andes, the forests' role in regulating the water cycle, in association with high-altitude grassland, becomes particularly important. What is now left of these forests are relicts, pushed by natural and human agency to areas like boulder fields associated with glaciers, where access by humans or by cattle is very difficult. However, despite the small size of these Polylepis patches, they are critical to Andean biodiversity. Some of the most important hotspots are protected by Huascaran National Park, whilst other protected areas imm- ediately east along the headwaters of the Maranon River require urgent attention. ? Key to successful conservation of the forests is the intense involvement of rural Andean families and communities. Although the forests tradition
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