1. World Wildlife Magazine
  2. Winter 2017

A look at the natural world of Colombia

Heritage Colombia is a conservation financing project designed to secure protections for Colombia’s natural and cultural landscapes; it will help complete a suite of long-term funding efforts that will collectively, permanently protect 14% of the Amazon.

But Heritage Colombia goes far beyond the Amazon. In fact, it is the astounding diversity of landscapes included in the project that makes it unique. Heritage Colombia includes the dense forests and fast-flowing rivers of the Amazon, the white-capped mountains of the Andes, mangroves along the Pacific Coast, vast stretches of the Caribbean Sea, the open savanna of the Orinoco River basin—and some of the greatest biological diversity on the planet.

Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world

In fact, per square kilometer, the country is the most biodiverse. There are more bird, amphibian, butterfly, and frog species here than anywhere else in the world.

56,343 SPECIES

 

22,850   Flowering plants
4,270   Orchids
3,274   Butterflies
2,000   Marine fish
1,921   Birds
1,435   Freshwater fish
1,250   Sponges
900   Ants
803   Amphibians
537   Reptiles
492   Mammals
289   Palms
197   Migratory birds
130   Corals

 

 

Astounding diversity of landscapes

Click on the letters below to learn more about the natural world of Colombia.

Colombia map labels new winter2017

CARIBBEAN

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CARIBE
ECOSYSTEMS Estuaries, coast, swamps, mangroves, Andean and sub-Andean humid forests, tropical forests, dry forests, high mountain ecosystems
BIODIVERSITY Jaguar, mangroves, 40 bat species, elkhorn coral, six turtle species

CARIBBEAN-PACIFIC TRANSITION

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TRANSICION PACIFICO CARIBE
ECOSYSTEMS Marine coastal ecosystems, mountain forests, migratory flows of fauna and flora species through the Mesoamerican corridor
BIODIVERSITY Olive ridley and hawksbill turtles, harpy eagle, jaguar, cotton-top tamarin

MARINE-COASTAL PACIFIC

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PACIFICO MARINO COSTERA
ECOSYSTEMS Wet sub-Andean forests, tropical forests, wetlands, mangroves, cloud forests
BIODIVERSITY Humpback whale, coral, mangroves, yellowfin tuna, olive ridley and hawksbill turtles

CENTRAL CORDILLERA

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CORDILLERA CENTRAL
ECOSYSTEMS Cloud forests and moors, high Andean forests, wetlands, active volcanic formations, glaciers
BIODIVERSITY Yellow-eared parrot, Andean bear, puma, jaguar

ANDEAN AMAZONIAN FOOTHILL

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PIEDEMONTE AMAZONICO
ECOSYSTEMS Andean forests and highlands, moors, vegetation typical of Amazon lowlands
BIODIVERSITY Mountain tapir, currasow, Andean bear, pudu, wooly monkey

EASTERN CORDILLERA

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CORDILLERA ORIENTAL
ECOSYSTEMS Moors, high Andean forests, humid foothill forests, highlands, inter-Andean valleys
BIODIVERSITY Andean condor, black harlequin frog, hummingbirds, parrots

ORINOCO

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ORINOQUIA
ECOSYSTEMS Flooded savannas, wooded savannas, riparian forests, wetlands
BIODIVERSITY Amazon river dolphin, giant anteater, Brazilian teal, capybara, giant otter, spectacled caiman, Orinoco goose, manatee

ORINOCO TRANSITION

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TRANSICION ORINOQUIA
ECOSYSTEMS Sub-Andean forests, humid lowland forests, wetlands, blackwater rivers, rocky outcrops
BIODIVERSITY Mountain tapir, red deer, jaguar, Andean condor, puma, freshwater angelfish

HEART OF THE AMAZON

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CORAZON AMAZONIA
ECOSYSTEMS Very humid tropical forests,  ood-prone areas, wetlands, swamps
BIODIVERSITY Amazon river dolphin, black caiman, arawana, Humboldt’s white-fronted capuchin, macaws, harpy eagle

 

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World Wildlife magazine provides an inspiring, in-depth look at the connections between animals, people and our planet. Published quarterly by WWF, the magazine helps make you a part of our efforts to solve some of the most pressing issues facing the natural world.

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