At one site the local people celebrate the cycles of the sun.What is its importance for wildlife? The 40,000sqkm Cayambe-Coca reserve hascloud forests, tropical forests and alpine grasslands. It is host to 900 bird species, among them the rare Andean condor. The 200 mammal species include the spectacled bear, the mountain tapir, the dwarf red deer and the river otter.How is it threatened? It is increasingly visited by tourists. Three years ago there was a huge oil spill.THE VILCANOTA SPIRITUAL PARKWhere is it? An ice-capped mountain area, rich in glaciers, high in the Peruvian Andes.Why is it sacred? The 6,372m Mount Ausangate, is revered as the most sacred mountain of the southern Andes.
Local communities are guided by mountain spirits and by shamanic rituals which protectpasture.What is its importance for wildlife? Many rare and unique species, including wild vicu? pumas and Andean geese, thrive in this bio-diversity hotspot. It is also a key area for genetic diversity of important Andean crops.How is it threatened? More than 450,000 tourists a year visit nearby Machu Picchu, Peru's finest Inca site, and they are increasingly being drawn to the beautiful mountain landscapes Mining also threatens the area.. The joint leaders, Newcastle Eagles and Scottish Rocks, each missed the chance to take the lead in the British Basketball League title race last night when they slumped to unexpected defeats. When the Eagles tipped off at Chester Jets they already knew that the Rocks had lost 80-79 earlier at Guildford Heat. But the Eagles failed to take advantage, crashing to one of their worst defeats of the season by 93-76. The results leave the Rocks and Eagles level on 27 wins each, but the Tyneside club have played one game less and could take control of the race this week when they face third-placed Sheffield Sharks on Thursday and the Rocks on Saturday.
Bottom-of-the-table Birmingham Bullets may need a miracle to qualify for the play-offs, but after just edging out fifth-placed Guildford 103-101 on Saturday for their third win in a row are having a say on the quarter-final line-up. Guildford must overhaul fourth-placed London Towers to earn home advantage in the last eight, but Towers moved four points clear with an 84-81 win over Leicester Riders.. The Formula One roadshow has already arrived in Melbourne ahead of next weekend's grand prix at Albert Park. All along the southern esplanade of the Yarra River the low-slung cars, gaudy with sponsorship, dazzle in the sun. The recorded roar of high-octane engines whines out above Formula One-related booths and sideshows A city obsessed with sport is idling between events. The 18th Commonwealth Games, which closed here yesterday with a ceremony that matched the exuberance of the foregoing 12 days, will take their place in the collective memory as the very model of a modern sporting event. Even though the Games themselves are based on anachronistic, imperial power lines, and provide a bizarre mixture of world-class and economy-class performance, there has been a mutual gain in Victoria.