Machu Picchu, the royal estate of the Inca ruler Pachacuti is a breathtaking monument to the ancient engineering skills of the Inca people.
Machu Picchu lies at the junction of the humid low Urubamba basin and the benign Vilcanota Valley that was the ‘breadbasket’ of Inca culture.
The 32 592 ha Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary was established by the Peruvian government in 1981, and in 1983 was designated a World Heritage Site for natural and cultural heritage.
It contains a mix of subtropical forest and towering snow peaks, and a plethora of jungle covered ruins linked together by Inca paths.
Predominant tree species lie between 3000 and 38000 m in attitude including, Myrcianthes oreophyla, Escallonia resinosa, Vallea stipularis, Myrsine latifolia and Alnus articulata.
Several woody species are multi-stemmed or grow in either shrub or tree form.
Some of the rarest Andean birds are found in forest fragment that surround the more isolated Inca ruins and terraces of the area.
The forest of Machu Picchu
Friday, September 7, 2012
The most popular posts
-
Deciduous broadleaf forest is the representative vegetation type in the humid temperate zone of Monsoon Asia. It covers the range of latitud...
-
A desert is made of ecosystem. In an ecosystem, plants, animals, land, water and air work together. A desert is one of many types of biome...
-
Western North America is home to a plethora of pine species, each contributing to the intricate fabric of its forest ecosystems. Noteworthy ...
-
Fauna in biology and ecology refers to the animals of a particular region, habitat, geological period, or ecosystem. When ecologists talk ab...
-
The Basic of Ecosystem No organism lives in isolation. To be sustained, life requires continual inputs of energy and particular types of mat...
Other Interesting Articles
-
-
-
Cow dung, a time-tested organic resource, plays a vital role in enhancing soil health, especially in sustainable and regenerative farming systems. Rich in ...