The biodiversity of Colombia is the variety of indigenous organisms in the country with the second-highest

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

in the world, behind

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. As of 2021, around 63,000 species are registered in Colombia, of which 14% are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

. The country occupies worldwide the first position in number of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s and

butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

, second position in plants, amphibians and fresh water fish, third place in species of palm trees and reptiles and globally holds the sixth position in biodiversity of mammals. The country hosts 59 nationally designated

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

. At the establishment of the most recent addition,

Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park Bahía Portete – Kaurrele National Natural Park (Spanish language, Spanish: ''PNN Bahía Portete – Kaurrele'') is a List of national parks of Colombia, national natural park in Uribia, La Guajira, Uribia, La Guajira, Colombia. The northernmost ...

, Colombian president

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...

said "Biodiversity is to Colombia, what oil is for the Arabs".Nuevo Parque Nacional Natural de Colombia Bahía Portete
- Ministerio de Ambiente, Colombia Bahía Portete, regalo de Navidad
-

El Espectador ''El Espectador'' (meaning "The Spectator") is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá. It changed from a daily to a weekly editio ...

In 2020, according to the Colombian Biodiversity Information System, 63,303 species were registered in the country,Biodiversidad en Cifras 2021
- SiB Colombia of which more than 8,800 are considered endemic species.Especies endémicas, áreas protegidas y deforestación
, Biodiversidad 2018 - Humboldt Institute The country occupies the first position in the world in number of orchid and bird species, second in plants, amphibians, butterflies and freshwater fish, third in palm and reptile species, and fourth in mammalian biodiversity. According to a report by the WWF, half of Colombia's ecosystems are in a critical state of deterioration or in a state of danger. The organization said that

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

is due to oil extraction, mineral and metal extraction and deforestation. Deteriorating ecosystems are threatening the existence of more than a third of Colombia's plants and 50 percent of its animals.Colombia Viva:Informe 2017
- WWF-Colombia Since 1998, the Humboldt Institute for Biological Resources has been collecting biodiversity samples. As of 2014, 16,469 samples, representing around 2,530 species of 1,289 genera, and 323 families from Colombian biodiversity have been stored in its archives.

Description

Colombia is one of seventeen megadiverse countries in the world.Biodiversity A-Z
/ref> The country in northwestern South America contains 311 types of coastal and continental ecosystems.Qué es la biodiversidad
- Humboldt Institute As of the beginning of 2021, a total of between 63,000 and 71,000 species are registered in the country,Biodiversidad en Colombia
with 8803 endemic species, representing near the 14% of the total registered species. Colombia is the country with the most

páramo Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

s in the world; more than 60% of the Andean ecosystem is found within Colombian territories.Five unmissable Colombian páramos begging to be explored
/ref> Boyacá is the department where 18.3% of the national total area is located.Nieto Escalante et al., 2010, p.75 Since December 20, 2014, Colombia hosts 59 protected areas.Parques Nacionales de Colombia
The biodiversity is highest in the Andean natural region, followed by the Amazon natural region.
Since 1998, the Humboldt Institute for Biological Resources in the country has been collecting samples of biodiversity. As of 2014, 16,469 samples, representing around 2530 species from 1289 genera, and 323 families of the Colombian biodiversity have been stored in their archives.Arbeláez Cortés et al., 2015, p.163 The biodiversity of Colombia is at risk, mainly because of habitat loss, urbanisation,

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

and overfishing.UNDP, 2014, p.18 According to a study of 2001, of forested area is lost every year.Rodríguez Becerra, 2001, p.10 Around 1300 species are critically endangered, and 509 species are introduced in Colombia, 22 of which are classified as

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

.Biodiversidad en cifras
- SiB Colombia Various plans to address the environmental issues are proposed.Plan de acción de biodiversidad Colombia 2016-2030
The National System of Protected Areas (SINAP) is the administrator of protected areas.

Biodiversity in numbers

To commemorate the biodiversity of Colombia, the coins of the Colombian peso introduced in 2012 feature a species each.Biodiversidad nuestra conexión vital
-

Banco de la República The Bank of the Republic ( es, Banco de la República) is the central bank of Colombia. It was initially established under the regeneration era in 1880. Its main modern functions, under the new Colombian constitution were detailed by Congress ...

Natural regions

Colombia is divided into six natural regions.

Caribbean natural region

Andean natural region

Orinoquía natural region

Amazon natural region

Pacific/Chocó natural region

Insular natural region

Biodiversity hotspots

Colombia hosts two

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the co ...

s; the

Tropical Andes The Tropical Andes is northern of the three climate-delineated parts of the Andes, the others being the Dry Andes and the Wet Andes. The Tropical Andes' area spans . Geography and ecology file:Andes_clima.png, 200px, Map of the climatic regions ...

and

Tumbes–Chocó–Magdalena Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena is a biodiversity hotspot, which includes the tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests of the Pacific coast of South America and the Galapagos Islands. The region extends from easternmost Panama to the lower Magdale ...

. The country is part of the

World Network of Biosphere Reserves The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers internationally designated protected areas, known as biosphere reserves, which are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature (e.g. encourage sustainable dev ...

with five biosphere reserves:World Biosphere Reserves
- Latin America & The Caribbean

Species

Selected fauna

Selected endemic flora

Selected endemic fungi

Panoramas

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Biodiversidad Colombia
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Universidad de La Salle Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

Colombia: Bajo Caguán-Caquetá Rapid Inventory

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/nowiki>br>Colombia: La Lindosa, Capricho, Cerritos Rapid Inventory

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/nowiki>] {{Biodiversity of Colombia, state=expanded Environment of Colombia Lists of biota of Colombia, * Fauna of Colombia, . Flora of Colombia, . Endemic fauna of Colombia, . Endemic flora of Colombia, .