Tayrona National Park, Colombia Photograph by Luke Mastin   Northern South America: Northern Colombia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   1,900 square miles (4,800 square kilometers) -- about the size of Delaware Vulnerable

· A Continental Island
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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A Continental Island

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains form the largest coastal range in South America. High snow-covered peaks can be seen only 37 miles (60 km) from the Caribbean coast. This ecoregion, then, is an island of montane forests surrounded by a sea of dry forests, which has led to the evolution of many endemic plant and animal species.

Special Features

Forests within this ecoregion vary according to altitude and rainfall. Rainfall averages about 118 inches (3,000 mm) annually above an elevation of 3,280 feet (1,000 m). Lower elevations host large trees up to 114 feet tall (35 m), abundant vines, palms, and a layer dominated by herbaceous plants and shrubs. Moving up the mountains, these forests give way to cloud forests in which the almost constant cloud cover creates a characteristic blanket of mosses, lichens, orchids, bromeliads, and ferns. Trees tend to be shorter here, averaging about 82 feet (25 m) in height. At higher elevations, cloud forests gradually give way to elfin forests, which are short, dense forests of trees that are highly gnarled and almost impenetrable. Temperatures fluctuate from 80° F (27° C) to as low as 42° F (6° C) at the upper elevations.

	Red howler monkeys are known for their "dawn chorus," a roar call that can be heard up to 3 miles (5 km) away! These howls, performed primarily by males, are answered by all other howler groups within earshot. These calls allow troops to constantly inform each other of their precise locations, and avoid conflicts.

Wild Side

This ecoregion is regionally outstanding because of its endemic species, especially among plants, but also among birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and other creatures. Endemic species of rodents and endemic subspecies of squirrels and otters join Brazilian tapirs, ocelots, jaguars, white-lipped peccaries, pacas, agoutis, neotropical otters, and red howler monkeys to round out this ecoregion’s mammal species. Black-chested jays, keel-billed toucans, and bay-headed tanagers are common bird species. Many endemic birds are named after these mountains and include the Santa Marta parakeet, Santa Marta sabrewing, Santa Marta antpitta, Santa Marta bush-tyrant, Santa Marta wren, Santa Marta brush-finch, Santa Marta mountain-tanager, and Santa Marta warbler.

Cause for Concern

Much of this ecoregion falls within the protective boundaries of Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, which also protects several tribes of Amerindians. These mountains have been inhabited by these people since before European discovery of the continent. Lower elevations are being colonized by people, and much land has been cleared for the illegal cultivation of drugs. Recent use of chemical herbicides to combat this drug cultivation has poisoned many areas and denuded them of their original vegetation. Overhunting adversely affects populations of red-brocket deer, tapirs, jaguars, pumas, white-lipped and collared peccaries, agoutis, pacas, and many large birds.

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