We are located in the Tiaparo sector, district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, department of Cusco (3 km from Piscacucho, where the Inca Trail begins), it has a total extension of 1’145,710.3 hectares, it has a biological wealth which is distributed through the diverse altitude gradient, which ranges from a valley floor at 2,800 meters above sea level to the highest floors of snow-capped peaks such as Verónica at 5,893 meters above sea level.
The area is made up of several snow-capped mountains that supply water to the inhabitants of several communities, an important reason for the use and protection of these waters and to maintain the ecological balance of the area that is home to many varieties of endemic birds such as the white-green hummingbird (Amazilia viridicauda), cream-breasted curutié (Cranioleuca albicapilla), red-breasted basket-breasted (Asthenes ottonis), finch brush (Atlapetes canigenis); species of insects, reptiles and large mammals such as the Andean cat (Oreailurus jacobita), puma (Puma concolor), Andean deer or taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis), vizcacha (Lagidium peruanun), fox (Lycalopex culpaeus), Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus), etc.
It is also home to many species of trees such as unca (Myrcianthes oreophyla), chachacomo (Escallonia resinosa), alder (Alnus glutinosa), lloque (kageneckia lanceolata), all of which are very important in protecting soils, nutrients, sediments, etc. A special case is represented by queuñas belonging to the genus Polylepis, which grow between 3,500 and 5,200 meters above sea level and have adapted to the harsh conditions of the Andes, the small hairs on the leaves capture moisture from the environment and transfer it to the ground, managing to maintain an almost constant water regime, special microecosystems formed by mosses and lichens are formed on its bark, its copper-colored bark comes off like thin sheets of paper forming a mantle that gives heat and is the habitat of many insects, these forests attract various birds that are endemic to them.
