Memoria Tomo 1 - fundacionecoan.org

Diagnóstico, cambio global y conservación Thomas Van der Hammen
ABSTRACT
A revision of the paramos of the Colombia Eastern, Central and Western Cordilleras
and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, gives us an impression of the state of their
conservation and degree of intervention (direct anthropogenic change).
The superparamos in general are will conserved, but much more of the proper paramos
and subparamos have suffered stronge influence of human actions: cattle raising, fire, drainage
of bogs and other wetlands and potato cultivation. It is especially the “industrial” potatoe
cultivation that destroys, with heavy equipment, large areas of paramo vegetation, but also
cattle raising and associated fires have exercised in many paramos a very negative influence
on the soil, the vegetation, the landscape and the biodiversity; a negative influence and the
quantity and quality of the water may soon become evident. The analysis of satellite
images of the Paramo de Guerrero-Laguna Verde (al noroeste de Bogotá) show what
has happened between the years 1970 and 1990; in twenty years, the surface covered by
paramo vegetation was reduced 30 % (total conversion in cultivated pastures and/or
crops), but still more serious is the almost total disappearance of paramo shrub formations.
In 1970 almost half of the paramo vegetation was shrub vegetation, and in 1990 it had
disappeared almost totally (95%). That means that the original vegetation structure changed
totally, destruction by fire and potato cultivation, which moreover should have resulted in
a considerable loss of biodiversity.
There is no doubt that the same is taking place in many paramos, where the landscape, the
biodiversity (with many endemic species), the soils and the water are in danger. Another danger
consists in the global climatic change. The increase of the temperature expected for the next 50
years, will reduce considerably the surface of the bioclimatic zone of the subparamo, paramo
proper and superparamo, resulting in losses that will be more serious in paramos already
degraded; both processes will affect both biodiversity and the water availability.
In view of all this, drastic measures are urgently needed, that will assure the survival of the
paramos, of their biodiversity and water. We think that there is no other option than to
reduce the agriculture and cattle raising, and transfer them to other more appropriate areas.
In the first place “industrial” potato cultivation with heavy equipment should be forbidden.
In view of the national and international importance of the paramo landscape, water,
vegetation and biodiversity, the only valid solution seems to be to declare officially all paramos
“Reservations of water and biodiversity” leaving a term of e.g. 10 years to gradually
offer the actual inhabitants other land further down and/or other economic alternatives
(water attendant, take care of nature and landscape, quides, etc.).
Key words: Biodiversity, conservation, global change, paramo, water.
LAS ZONAS ALTITUDINALES DE LOS PÁRAMOS
NORANDINOS
Desde Cuatrecasas (1934), utilizamos los nombres de bosque andino, subpáramo, páramo
propiamente dicho y superpáramo. Después hemos subdividido la zona de bosque andino,
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