Ecological Condition and Animal Carrying Capacity of Andean Grassland in Three Micro-Basins of the Quero District, Jauja

The Andean grassland ecosystems constitute 32 % of the surface of the Peruvian highlands, benefiting 5000 rural communities, integrated by rural families in a situation of poverty and extreme poverty. These ecosystems experience degradation processes in their structure and function, which has motivated the evaluation of the ecological condition and the animal carrying capacity of the grassland ecosystems in three micro-basins in the district of Quero (Yananya, Huajaco and Ijira), province of Jauja. The micro-basins were subdivided into three parts: upper part, meddle part and lower part, for the purposes of the evaluation. The floristic evaluation was carried out using the Parker modified step transection method. A floristic composition was found that included 17 families, 21 genera and 35 species of natural grasses, dominated by Aciachne pulvinata, Calamagrostis curvula, C. rigida, Stipa mucronata and S. brachyphylla. No difference was found between micro-basins, but between their parts for p = 0.05. It was concluded that the grassland ecosystem is very degraded which reduces its ecological condition and animal carrying capacity