Paramo, a form of tropical alpine vegetation, has experienced intense anthr
opogenic disturbances throughout the northern Andes, but relatively few stu
dies have examined the disturbance ecology of this ecosystem. This article
concerns the use of experimental techniques to quantify the effects of huma
n disturbances on lower paramo vegetation in southern Ecuador. Beginning in
January 1992, thirty-eight 3 x 2 m plots were inventoried at a site (3285
to 3384 m elevation) that includes both grass paramo and shrub paramo commu
nities. Within the grass paramo, three different treatments were applied: e
ight plots were cut with a machete, eight were burned with gasoline, and ei
ght were cut and burned; ten plots in the shrub paramo were cut only. The r
egeneration within these plots was monitored one year later. Within the gra
ss paramo, "burned" plots experienced a higher rate of woody stem regrowth
than did plots in the other treatments. "Cut and burned" plots experienced
the lowest rate of woody stem regeneration and the greatest loss of species
. In the shrub paramo, cutting alone resulted in the loss of rare woody spe
cies and an increase in frequency of common herbaceous species.