Cañon de Combeima, Tolima, Colombia Photograph by Luke Mastin   Northern South America: Central Colombia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   12,400 square miles (32,100 square kilometers) -- about the size of New Jersey and Connecticut combined Critical/Endangered

· Frogs of the Forest
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Frogs of the Forest

Visitors to this montane ecoregion might be treated to an unusual chorus of frogs. Nearly 100 different frog species join many mammals, birds, and butterflies to make the mountains surrounding the Cauca Valley one of the most diverse areas in central Colombia. However, the region has lost large tracts of forest cover, especially at lower elevations. Only small remnants of native vegetation remain.

Special Features

The Cauca Valley is located between the western and central ranges of the northwestern Andes and stretches for about 372 miles (600 km). The gentle slopes of the Cauca Valley foothills, starting at an elevation of around 3,280 feet (1,000 m), give way to a rugged topography at higher elevations, with deep canyons and numerous rivers and streams. This geologically diverse ecoregion ranges from dry areas in the foothills, which receive up to 40 inches (1,000 mm) of rainfall a year, to humid forests in the middle and upper elevations, where precipitation may top out at 118 inches (3,000 mm) annually. This ecoregion contains palms of the Ceroxylon family, which includes a species that is the tallest palm in the world, reaching more than 196 feet (60 m) in height.

	Spectacled bears get their names from the large circles or semicircles of white around their eyes that stand out from their otherwise black or dark brown coat and look like eyeglasses. But these markings are variable and may even be completely missing in some individuals.

Wild Side

More than 400 species of birds, over 90 species of frogs, some 120 mammal species, and over 200 different types of butterflies populate the Cauca Valley highlands. The region’s complex geologic history has led to interesting patterns of animal settlement. Frog species, for example, are often isolated from each other on different mountain slopes, but butterflies might be found at a certain elevation on several slopes. Large mammals such as the spectacled bear and mountain tapir share these forests with such rare or endangered bird species as the Cauca guan, brown-banded and mustached antpittas, multicolored tanager, and golden-plumed parakeet.

Cause for Concern

The montane forests of the Cauca Valley are highly fragmented and have been virtually destroyed between 3,200 and 6,500 feet (1,000 and 2,000 m). Substantial forest remains at higher elevations, but only small portions are protected in national parks. Continuing degradation of forest fragments is the main threat to this ecoregion. Timber exploitation and illegal hunting are problems as well.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.