Cecropia tree, Mid-elevation Cloud Forest, Western Slope of Andes, Ecuador
Between forty and fifty percent of the 61 species of Cecropia are montane or submontane Andean, with the majority of species in the northern part of the Andes, in Colombia and Ecuador. The Andean region is regarded as the center of species richness and specialization because of the additional 25% of lowland taxa that reach the eastern or western foothills of the Andes. Therefore, only approximately 25% of the species occur outside of the Andean region.
Year: 2014
From album: National Parks and examples of Linking Tourism & Conservation of Ecuador
Photographer: Peter Prokosch