The forests of Queuña (Polylepis spp.) Are distributed in the highest floors of the Andes mountain range, from Venezuela to Argentina and Chile, between 3500 and 5200 masl. Historically they occupied a very long strip of these mountains, between snow-covered mountains and wetlands, but the overexploitation of their wood and the expansion of grazing land for breeding animals has reduced their coverage drastically in recent centuries. This ecosystem is inhabited by different species, because it has innumerable resources in food, shelter and water that are scarce in other scenarios of the same altitude. Widely distributed animals such as the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) and pumas (Puma concolor) reach this ecosystem and are part of the complex interaction network that includes a long list of specialists and flora and fauna endemic. These forests also fulfill very important ecological roles, such as the capture of water stored in mosses that grow on branches and soil. Carbon capture and buffering of temperature changes are added to their ecosystem functions and thus conserve tropical glaciers.