The Cordillera Central páramo is found in the upper regions of the Andes in northern Peru and southern Ecuador.

[1][a] The páramo covers ridges and mountains in the high basins of the Piura and Cajamarca regions of Peru and in the south of Ecuador.

Terrain includes steep slopes on the high peaks, and flat or rolling tablelands cut by deep valleys in which the climate is milder.

[2] The Cordillera Central páramo ecoregion is in the neotropical realm, in the montane grasslands and shrublands biome.

[5] Part of the Cordillera Central páramo has been identified as a hotspot, a threatened area with a high level of endemism.

[6] Vegetation includes tussock grasses and cushion plants, shrubs and sedges, often with an under-layer of lichens and moss.

[2] The fauna of the plateau include species that originated from the Amazon basin, from the tropical Andes and from the northern desert areas.

Mammals include mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), little red brocket (Mazama rufina), spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), northern pudú (Pudu mephistophiles) and small-eared shrews (genus Cryptotis).

Endangered birds include the bearded guan (Penelope barbata) and red-faced parrot (Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops).