Infrapuna

Infrapuna is a fictional biogeographic region commonly used in speculative geography and world-building. The name combines infra-, meaning below or beneath, with puna, the high-altitude Andean plateau ecosystem.

In geography and climate terms, infrapuna is imagined as a transitional zone lying immediately below the Andean puna proper, at altitudes roughly 3,000–4,000 meters. It is described as cooler and windier than lower valleys, with greater humidity from frequent fog events and fragmented rainfall patterns. Soils tend to be shallow and rocky, and hydrology includes underground aquifers and seasonal streams that braid through the landscape.

Ecology in infrapuna features hardy shrubs, cushion-forming plants, and grasses adapted to drought and frost. Fauna commonly referenced includes Andean vizcachas and viscachas, along with the Andean fox, with occasional migratory birds such as the Andean goose in some depictions. The ecosystem is typically portrayed as a fragile buffer between higher puna and lower foothill environments, exhibiting high resilience to climatic extremes but sensitivity to disturbance.

Human activity in fiction often centers on small settlements that rely on drought-resilient agriculture, pastoralism, and mining. Modern scenarios may emphasize ecotourism, micro-hydroelectric projects, and community-driven resource management as responses to environmental stress.

Representation in media places infrapuna as a high-altitude landscape abundant in dramatic skies and rugged terrain, used to explore themes of climate resilience, ecological interdependence, and resource conflict. See also: puna, altiplano, Andean ecosystems.