Hills above Bogotá, Colombia Photograph by Luke Mastin   Northern South America: Central Colombia and northeastern Venezuela Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   26,200 square miles (67,900 square kilometers) -- nearly as large as Maryland, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts combined Vulnerable

· Facets of a Forest
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Facets of a Forest

The forests of this ecoregion carpet the middle-to-high elevations of the northern Andes and surrounding foothills. Dense montane cloud forests form below 5,000 feet (1524 m). Above that elevation, temperate-like oak forests cover the contours of the eastern slopes of the Andes and make a transition to elfin forests in the highest forested parts. Here, vegetation type transforms into the ericaceous scrub and páramo of neighboring ecoregions.

Special Features

This region is one of the most biologically diverse tropical montane regions in the world. More than 220 mammal species live here, which is more than in almost any other neotropical ecoregion. These include montane species from both the Pacific and Atlantic slopes, and some visiting species that migrate here from the lowlands. The diversity of birds is amazing, too--more than 650 species have been found here, and at least 40 are endemic. Epiphytes twist along the trunks and branches of trees, winding lime-colored tendrils through the understory. Pools of water collect in the cups formed by the whorled leaves of bromeliads, providing microhabitats for a diversity of small creatures. The headwaters for both the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers begin here, their waters tumbling down the steep, often rugged terrain of the Andean slope.

	The tachira emerald hummingbird, one of the endemic birds of this ecoregion, has been observed only five times by scientists since its discovery in 1954!

Wild Side

A spectacled bear leaves evidence of its passage through the forest with a set of tracks in the mud of the forest floor. These elusive, medium-sized bears have gold to white marks around their eyes and below their chin that look like spectacles, giving them their name. They forage on the ground and in the lower canopy, searching for fruits, nuts, and small vertebrates. In the canopy, the bear will often create a nest-like platform of tree branches, strong enough to hold its weight. One of the world’s smallest cats, the oncilla, climbs along a branch, searching for birds and small rodents to eat. Two pairs of coal-black stripes run down the sides of the cat’s neck. Back on the ground, a mountain tapir, the smallest of the South American tapir species, uses its long, prehensile snout to dig through leaves on the forest floor. Unlike other tapirs, these predominantly solitary animals have an extra-shaggy coat that provides insulation, allowing them to venture as high at 13,000 feet (4,000 m) in search of grass, seeds, and seedlings. Nectar-eating black incas, golden-bellied starfrontlets, and orange-throated sunangel hummingbirds zip among the incredible variety of plant species here.

Cause for Concern

Conversion of habitat to agriculture is an intense threat and has already led to extensive habitat degradation and deforestation. Cattle ranching, coca production, and mining pose additional threats. Plans for coal mining in Sierra de Parija National Park in Venezuela are an ominous sign for the region.

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