Vivid valleys, pallid peaks? Hypsometric variations and rural-urban land change in the Central Peruvian Andes

► Huancayo Metropolitano's hinterland is undergoing major land cover change. ► Agricultural intensification follows rapid urban growth since the mid-1990s. ► Increasing activities of human land use reach to high-altitude puna grasslands. ► High-altitude zones need to be integrated into urban and peri-urban planning.