Estimados miembros de la lista para discusion de Paramos:
Me permito enviar mi saludo y felicitacion a los coordinadores de esta segunda iniciativa. A continuacion me permito incluir extractos de un articulo en prensa en Ambio acerca de los paradigmas cambiantes de la montologia, que se relaciona directamente con los paramos y la epistemologia ecologica. En el articulo original se analiza en extenso los diferentes efectos de la ecologia de paisajes que tienen que revisarse en cara a la nueva montologia, como por ejemplo, la verticalidad o efecto de cascada, la marginalidad o efecto centrifugo, la centralidad o efecto centripeto, el efecto de tribalizacion, el efecto de dominio, el efecto de contagio, el efecto divino y el efecto de globalizacion, entre otros.

Como el articulo esta en prensa, me permito contribuir con extractos relativos exclusivamente a los paramos. El texto original se encuentra en ingles, estare gustoso en proporcionar traduccion a aquellos que lo requieran y de enviar separatas a quienes lo soliciten.

BREAKING MOUNTAIN PARADIGMS:
Ecological Effects on Human Impacts in Man-aged Tropandean Landscapes. By Fausto O. Sarmiento (Excerpts from an Ambio article)

The Tropical Andes (Tropandean ecoregion for short) are examples of continued synergies between culture and nature occurring along the cordillera, forming the latitudinal backbone of South America, and providing the unique landscape character of this ecoregion. In the Andes of Ecuador, for instance, grasslands in the range due to fires and selective grazing, and introduction of exotic species, have led to an entirely "mediterranized" landscape configuration in the highlands and in warmer valleys and plateaus, creating the working living landscapes of today (also known as lifescapes). Previous forest cover disappeared over large areas along the Andes, leaving only remnants of oligospecific woodland formations amidst a sea of graminoids known as p?ramo, jalca, and puna; their origin still sparks debate and stimulates further research in the paleoecology of the region.

Despite recent mapping data and a dearth of information on longterm time series analyses, it is clear that the impact of deforestation in the Tropical Andes is the most critical for climatic stability. Nonetheless, it is important to recall (a) that anthropogenic systems occurred already there from millennia, (b) that tension on the resource-base is enduring over generations, and (c) over different land-use practices with the prolonged residence time for domestication of crops, livestock, and resource-administration trials (for a better understanding of the role of humans through time, I refer to these as man-aged practices).

Nature and Culture: Couplings and Adjustments The name Andes reportedly came about to our vocabulary from mispronunciation (and/or graphiosis, the reiterated orthographic misspelling) of the Spanish word "andenes" Ñplural tense of "andZn", a place to walk with care. It referred to the steep mountain walkways where scaffold, stoned-walls and echelon-like structures were common features on terraced slopes, which impressed the Europeans a great deal; hence, using "andenes" as a geographical descriptor for the mountainous terrain, now known as "Andes". Ever since the Encounter, the nomenclature of ecological processes or natural attributes has challenged scholars, claiming the need to develop uniform ecological terminology, as for the use of the paleoiberian word "P?ramo" to describe the highland grasslands of the Northern Andes, lacking a vernacular name!. According with the Andean Mountains Association (AMA), not only the use of jargon needs revision, but the toponimy needs to supersede Christian naming of places. In most countries, local ethnicity has been erased from mountain geographies, by the naming of landscape features with names of saints, generals, or civic dates: In Ecuador alone, there are dozens of "San Pedro" rivers, lakes honoring politicians (e.g. Donoso, Urbina), or towns recognizing founders (e.g. Mariano Acosta, Estaci-n Villamil). As a consequence, Quichua names have almost disappeared as geographical descriptors and current names lack ecological meaning whatsoever.

Moreover, the pervasive usage of foreign concepts and processes in tropical ecology theory Ñextrapolated to the tropical mountains from research made in lowland tropical sites, merits review. In many cases, these theoretical mismatches have been utilized as background for integrated conservation and development projects (ICDP), as a direct result of the prevailing dogma of ecological training in the Andean world with foreign textbooks, and exotic examples from the temperate zones of Europe or the United States; thus, perpetuating paradigms that are now being challenged in light of new evidence and novel landscape ecological approaches. Good examples are: the theory of riparian buffering, the mountainous soil fertility and nutrient availability, thermal drive of daily phenology, the arrested successional pathways, the red-far red ratio and productivity, the ultraviolet radiation (uv-§) and speciation, among many others. In most cases, ICDPs have demonstrated futility in the old approach based either in romanticism, myth, or wishful thinking of "nature pristine". The new conservation for sustainable development, therefore, reverses some established notions for traditional mountain ecology and brings pragmatic workable approaches for mountain lifescapes that will be mentioned below as the paradigms for the new science of montology.

Paradigms of Montology revisited There is a need to launch the science of mountain studies, lately referred to as Montology. The development of this discipline, rooted in mountain geoecology research pioneered by Troll in tropical American mountains, recently has benefited from examples and case studies from the Tropandean landscapes. For almost three centuries now, the mechanistic descriptive view of the differential arrangement of communities along altitudinal belts Ñthe current paradigm of montology, prevented a more comprehensive analytical phenomenological view of the mountain ecosystem as a whole Ñnew paradigm sought. Most cases and examples for montology are analyzed in the state-of-the-art publication and elswhere. There are quite a few landscape ecological effects (LEEs) that can be applied to describe the equatorial mountainous lifescape. These LEEs form the basis for a more comprehensive understanding of critical habitats for conservation and development in the Andes. They reflect notions of the so-called "mountain specificities" proposed for the mountain setting, and incorporate modern approaches with a landscape ecological perspective from the tropical Andes.

Discussion
The conservation of "virgin forests" and "natural" Andean ecosystems by setting aside representative samples of pristine protected areas is a mechanism to ensure the lasting protection of preserved patches of  forest of various sizes and shapes. This needed approach, however, has rendered a regional average of about 22% of declared legal protection, in what for some has been shown to be "paper parks". The realization that Andean highland grasslands are the result of ancient, enduring human impacts, or of man-aged approaches for using Andean forest resources Ñincluding burning for grazing and agriculture, brings new insights to tackle questions for Andean conservation and sustainable development. I have argued elsewhere that arrested succession in the Andes prevents forest reversion from abandoned pastures in the middle elevations (Mittelgebirge), and leading research findings show this to be also the case for pastures of higher elevations (Hochgebirge) in the Andes.

In fact, most of the p?ramos of Ecuador are "balds" created within the matrix of Andean forests that have received consecutive, reiterate impacts from flames, teeth, and iron, inflicted by campesinos in their transformation of the land with "Mediterranean" practices, even in areas with appearance of pristiness and remoteness. This Mediterranized settlement pattern and land-use practice is notorious, for instance, with cattle and sheep ranching on the range in lieu of native faunal husbandry. With the passage of time and monotonous land-use, the arrested recovery potential due to continual stresses has made ecological succession fail in the Andes. Similar arguments about anthropogenic landscapes are argued also for conservation of ecodiversity in the Lomas formation of the lower mountains on the coastal range and other isolated mountain ranges away from the Andes (e.g. Serra do mar).

Conclusion
As we entered the new millennium facing globalization of Andean markets amidst deterioration of the local resource base, conservation of nature must no longer rely on preservation of remnants alone. It is imperative that we stop neglecting lifescapes in the 78% of the rest of the "unprotected" area, and that we integrate the man-aged ecosystems by recovering degraded fragile Andean slopes with new techniques of restoration ecology. The Quad-R conceptual model (Revegetation, Reclamation, Rehabilitation, and Recovery) approach will help achieve synergies that couple with longterm monitoring and mitigation measures, by: a) revegetation of the land-cover in the slopes, b) rehabilitation of the hydroscopic function of mountain forests, c) reclamation of derelict mountain mining sites, and d) recovery of the lost landscape form and function. Those processes positively affect the longterm sustenance of high quality of life favored by equitable participation of mountain people, with their values and beliefs.

The establishment of demonstration sites for pilot projects Ñsuch as the network of mountain ethnobotanical sister gardens, or the regional focus for proposed Andean protected landscapes Ñsuch as the Condor-Viracocha route, are efforts that must be tackled with energy from the start. The breaking of paradigms in montology is so urgent as to allow mountain people and governments in their self-determination to incorporate new landscape ecological approaches for sustainable development. Foreign aid and internal investment must be directed to the restoration of mountain areas rather than to more agricultural frontier expansion. Detention and deviation of recalcitrant land-use practices (or short term assaults to mountain resources, such as mining of wood and ores) are also mandatory if we ambition sustainability in the Andes delivered to generations to come.