Tropical Andes The richest and most diverse region on Earth Tropical Andes The richest and most diverse region on Earth

The richest and most diverse region on Earth, the Tropical Andes spans 1,542,644 km², from western Venezuela to northern Chile and Argentina, and includes large portions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

The Andes also hold the highest large navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca, which sits at 3,810 meters between Peru and Bolivia. The Tropical Andes Hotspot contains the deepest gorge in the world -- the 3,223- meter deep Cañón del Colca near Cabanaconde, Peru. Tropical Andes are sometimes split into northern and southern zones, divided by the Marañon Gap or Huancabamba Depression. In the north, the hotspot is naturally more complex and fragmented, and consists of the main Andean mountains dividing into three cordilleras in Colombia, including the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia’s tallest mountain).

Types of Vegetation in the Tropical Andes

Flora Tropical Andes is home to an estimated 30,000-35,000 species of vascular plants. It is also the world leader in plant endemism, with an estimated 50% (and perhaps 60% or more) of these species found nowhere else on Earth. The forests of the Tropical Andes are floristically different from their lowland counterparts because they contain significant representation of plant families not found in the lowlands. In general, diversity decreases with altitude within this hotspot, and endemism increases. However, the puna and parámo grasslands that extend from the cloud forests to the snow line are still very diverse, harbouring as many as 800 species, many of these local endemics. Tobacco crop Andean bromelilad Parajubaea torallyi, EN Cinchona plant Potato crop

Birds The Tropical Andes harbour more than 1,700 bird species, nearly 600 of which are endemic. The region has 66 endemic bird genera, and includes all or part of 21 different Endemic Bird Areas, as defined by BirdLife International. At present, nearly 160 bird species in the Tropical Andes are threatened, and at least one species, the Colombian grebe (Podiceps andinus), has gone extinct in the last century. The hotspot also boasts the greatest diversity of hummingbirds in the world, including the world's largest, the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas), and the marvellous spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis, EN), appropriately named for its long racquet- shaped tail. Patagona gigas Blue and gold macaw Loddigesia mirabilis, EN Harpy eagle Chestnut Eared Aracari Green macaw

Mammals There are nearly 570 mammal species in the Tropical Andes hotspot; about 75 of these are endemic and nearly 70 are threatened. The yellow-tailed woolly monkey ( Oreonax flavicauda, CR), is one of the most important mammalian flagship species for the Tropical Andes, which was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in It is the largest mammal endemic to Peru. The wild guanaco ( Lama guanicoe) is one of four distinctive camel species found in the Tropical Andes – represents an important conservation success story for this hotspot. Considered to have one of the finest wools in the world, the vicuña was driven to the brink of extinction, until a sustainable-use program implemented in the 1970s led to its dramatic recovery. Black agouti Tapir Amazon river dolphin Red howler monkey Jaguar Borugo

Reptiles There are more than 600 reptile species identified in the Tropical Andes hotspot (more than 270 of which are endemic). The region's reptiles include the primitive tree boa (Corallus enydris), an arboreal snake which has a pelvis and vestigal hind limbs, and the Magdalena river turtle ( Podocnemis lewyana, EN), found in the Rio Magdalena River basin, along with other various snakes, alligators and lizards. Common green iguana Primitive tree boa Magdalena river turtle False coral snakeRainbow skink

Amphibians The Andes is the most important region in the world for amphibians, with around 980 species and more than 670 endemics. The frog genus Eleutherodactylus has more than 330 species, of which more than 250 are restricted to the hotspot. The best-known amphibians are the brightly colored poison dart frogs. Some of these frogs are among the most poisonous organisms on Earth; others, like Epipedobates tricolor, which produces a compound more powerful than that of morphine, hold promise as the source of new medicines. Habitat loss is playing a major role in driving many of the extinctions of many species, also disease is devastating impacts on amphibian populations in this part of the world. Hyla rhodopepla tree frog Monkey frog White lined tree frogBlue poison dart frog Phantasmal poison frog

Human Impacts The Inter-Andean valleys are the most degraded parts of the hotspot, with less than 10% of their original habitat remaining with no more than about 25% of its original vegetation left intact. Cloud forests - agriculture, deforestation, dams, and road building are the most significant threats Higher altitudes - seasonal burning, grazing, agriculture, mining, and fuel wood collection have degraded the grasslands and scrublands of the puna and páramos. Lower altitudes - a new and serious threat is oil exploration and development on the eastern slopes of the Andes and the adjacent Amazonian lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Invasive species, such as the rainbow trout (above) and the American bullfrog (left) can out-compete or even eat many native amphibians and threaten the survival of native flora and fauna.

Conservation Action and Protected Areas Protected areas cover some 16% of the original extent of vegetation in the region, although only about 8% of the hotspot is protected in reserves or parks. Globally threatened species are best protected through the conservation of sites in which they occur; these sites are referred to as “key biodiversity areas” (KBAs), which are discrete biological units that contain one or more globally threatened or restricted-range species, and can potentially be managed for conservation as a single unit. In the long term, conservation efforts in the Tropical Andes have focused on the need to add to and connect this network of protected areas. This is done by: By connecting existing parks through corridors of protected areas and biodiversity-friendly, sustainable development projects Ecological processes like migration Dispersal Enhancing gene flow among populations One of the most impressive projects has been taking shape over the last few decades - this corridor begins in Peru's Manú National Park, which at 18,812 km² is one of the largest rainforest reserves on Earth, and stretches through the 3,250-km² Bahuaja-Sonene National Park, parts of the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone in Peru, and across the Bolivian border to the 19,000-km² Madidi National Park.