| Fast Facts |
location
Department of Santander, 250 miles northeast of Bogotá
ecoregion
Eastern Cordillera Montane Forest
project size
300,000 acres
preserves
Cachalú Biological Reserve (owned by partner Fundación Natura)
public lands
Guanentá National Flora and Fauna Sanctuary
partners
Fundación Natura, Colombian National Park Service, Ministry of Environment
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| High rates of slash-and-burn deforestation have made the oak forests of Colombia one of the rarest of ecosystems in the tropical Andes. |
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Cachalú Biological Reserve.
© Fundación Natura |
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In the local indigenous language -- of which there are some 200 in Colombia -- Cachalú means "land of the sky." Here the peaks of the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia's eastern mountain range, reach heights of more than 8,000 feet. On one side of the mountains are valleys and páramo -- the Andes signature high-elevation grasslands of wildflowers and wind. To the east lie the torrid, sparsely populated lowlands of Amazônia. Between these two worlds the mountains seemingly float, terra firma of the air.
Cachalú is the name given to the private biological reserve that harbors Colombia's largest remaining stand of the endangered oak forest, Quercus humboldtii. The genus Quercus, which includes familiar trees like the white oak and live oak, reaches the southernmost extent of its range in Colombia. With nearly 70 percent of the tropical Andes in Colombia already cleared for cattle and agriculture, the rich forests of Cachalú and the surrounding landscape are high on conservationists' lists for protection. |
Puma.
© Art Wolfe |
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At the crossroads of two continents, Colombia is a land of great biological diversity. It ranks first in the world for the number of bird species, with more than 1,700 recorded, and first for amphibian species, with more than 550 recorded. But in a country also renowned for its political instability, the conservation imperative presents a steep challenge to those who would protect that diversity. | |
Despite Colombia's notorious turmoil, conservation flourishes in the Cordillera Oriental, even amid the civil strife and danger that plagues much of the rural highlands. Partners Fundación Natura and The Nature Conservancy are working together to protect more than 300,000 acres in the eastern Andes, radiating outward from Cachalú. With an influx of Colombian immigrants arriving in the highlands, the pressure to clear the land is growing. The conservation challenge is helping subsistence farmers meet their needs for living without destroying the forest and other natural resources that sustain them.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Colombia. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
oak forest, high-elevation grasslands (páramo), Andean cock-of-the-rock, collared peccary, spectacled bear, red howler monkey, puma, mountain tapir, black-billed mountain toucan, black inca
stresses
deforestation, driven by cattle ranching and agriculture and fueled by rapid population growth
strategies
promote ecologically compatible land-use practices, encourage conservation management of public and private lands, use Cachalú as a demonstration site, influence land-use planning, encourage scientific research
results
conservation planning methodology adopted by municipality of Encino | | | | |
