Key Habitats
Atacama Desert
To the west of the Andes lies the Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert in the world. In addition to extreme aridity caused by the cool Humboldt ocean current, the Atacama is known for its dense fog and lack of precipitation (receiving only 15 millimeters of rainfall a year). Due to the intense climate of the Atacama, the region is largely devoid of plant and animal life.
Altiplano-Puna Plateau
In the widest part of the Andes, running through the west-central region of the continent, lies the Altiplano, a series of intermontane basins, active volcanoes, desert expanses, and puna grasslands. It is home to Lake Titicaca, the highest-elevation lake in the world, and Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flats. The mineral-rich plateau has been subjected to extensive mining.
Páramos
Falling above the timberline and below the snow line, the Andean páramos is a biodiversity hotspot that is not only a home to an unusually high number of endemic species, but also the critical water supply that the páramos provide for lower elevation communities. The ecosystem is threatened by deforestation, overgrazing, and road construction.
Cloud forests
Between elevations of 2,000 and 12,000 feet lie the Andean cloud forests, formed by the humidity of the Amazon rainforest as it cools and travels west. Covered in an ever-present fog, these dense mountain forests are some of the most complex and fragile habitats on Earth, boasting greater plant diversity than the Amazon, but particularly vulnerable to the effects of deforestation.
Most Pressing Issues
Loss of biodiversity
The Andes are known for their rich biodiversity and high levels of endemism, which are being threatened by variety of human activities including infrastructure construction, mining, and invasive species. The tropical Andes region is considered most critically endangered biodiversity hotspots, due to growing populations and urbanization.
Climate change
Due to its highly specific biome diversity, the Andes Mountains are at particular risk of devastation from climate change. Temperature rise causes deglaciation of snow-capped peaks, leading to an island effect that leaves higher-elevation species vulnerable to extinction. There is evidence that climate change has increased the frequency and severity of infamous El Niño storms, which cause mass destruction of natural and human environments—not just in the Andes, but worldwide.
Mining
Rich in mineral resources (including copper, gold, silver, lithium, and iron), the Andes Mountains are site to many large-scale mining efforts. Mining may be the most important industry for economic development in South America, but it has led to significant destruction of cloud forests and páramos habitats, and has depleted critical water tables that support the livelihood of neighboring communities.
Deforestation
The Andean landscape has drastically changed due the effects of deforestation driven by commercial mining, agriculture, and road construction. This has led to devastating flooding and landslides as well as habitat fragmentation for hundreds of animal and plant species.
