The term páramo refers to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountains of South America. These high-altitude tropical montane environments exist above the continuous timberline and below the permanent snowline. While some ecologists describe them broadly as all vegetation above the forest line, a narrower definition specifically classifies them within the northern Andes of South America and adjacent southern Central America.
As a Neotropical high mountain biome, the páramo is characterized by vegetation consisting primarily of grasses, shrubs, and giant rosette plants. Scientists identify these regions as evolutionary hot spots, noting that they are among the fastest evolving regions on Earth.