Magdalena Valley montane forests


The Magdalena Valley montane forests is an ecoregion in the Andes mountains of central Colombia.

Geography

Location

The ecoregion covers the higher land on both sides of the valley of the Magdalena River in the Colombian Andes.
The river flows north between the Eastern Ranges to the east and the Central Ranges to the west, down to the Caribbean lowlands.
It has an area of about.
The ecoregion encloses the Magdalena Valley dry forests ecoregion which in turn contains the upper Magdalena River, and the Magdalena-Urabá moist forests ecoregion which contains the lower Magdalena River and extends across the lowlands north of the Magdalena Valley montane forests ecoregion.
Sections of Northern Andean páramo cover the highest land beside and within the ecoregion.
To the west, the ecoregion merges into the Cauca Valley montane forests on the other side of the Cordillera Central, and to the east it merges into the Cordillera Oriental montane forests.
In the far south the ecoregion transitions into the Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests.

Terrain

The rocks of the Eastern Ranges are sedimentary in origin, while the central range is highly volcanic and metamorphic.
Soils are very diverse, giving rise to diverse flora.
The Serranía de San Lucas rises in the center of the Magdalena Medio.
The Magdalena River drains north to the Caribbean.
From south to north the main tributaries are the Suaza, Saldaña, Sumapaz, Chicamocha, Carare, Cauca and its tributary the Nechí.

Climate

At a sample location at, the Köppen climate classification is Af: equatorial; fully humid.
Mean temperatures range from in October to in March.
There are rainy seasons from April to June and from October to December.
At the sample location the total yearly rainfall is about.
Monthly rainfall rises from in January to in May, falls to in July, then rises again to in October.

Ecology

The ecoregion is in the neotropical realm, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome.
It is part of the Northern Andean Montane Forests global ecoregion, which includes the Magdalena Valley montane forests, Venezuelan Andes montane forests, Northwestern Andean montane forests, Cauca Valley montane forests, Cordillera Oriental montane forests, Santa Marta montane forests and Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests terrestrial ecoregions.

Flora

Cloud forests are found at elevation of about and higher up at elevations of.
Common trees include Anacardium excelsum, Cedrela odorata, Cordia alliodora, Decussocarpus rospigliossi, Hieronyma macrocarpa, Jacaranda caucana, Juglans neotropica, Podocarpus oleifolius, Quercus humboldtii, Tabebuia rosea, Tabebuia serratifolia, Vochysia ferruginea and palms such as Ceroxylon alpinum, Ceroxylon quindiuense, Ceroxylon parvifrons, Ceroxylon sasaimae, Ceroxylon vogelianum and Dictyocaryum lamarckianum.
The wax palms species are of special concern.
The Andean rosewood is endangered.
Endemics found in the hilly areas along the cordilleras include Ceroxylon sasaimae, Heliconia abaloi, Heliconia estiletioides, Heliconia huilensis, Heliconia laxa, Heliconia mutisiana, Heliconia oleosa, Heliconia reptans and Odontoglossum crispum.
Endemic orchids include Cattleya trianae in the upper Magdalena and Cattleya warscewiczii in the San Lucas – Nechi region.
Other common orchids are Masdevallia coccinea, Miltoniopsis vexillaria, Odontoglossum crispum and Odontoglossum nobile.
Colombia’s national flower, the Christmas orchid is endangered.

Fauna

Large vertebrates are the cougar, oncilla, spectacled bear, Geoffroy's spider monkey, brown woolly monkey, South American tapir, mountain tapir, little red brocket, pacarana, mountain paca and Venezuelan red howler.
The brown woolly monkey, mountain tapir and spectacled bear are of special concern.
Endangered mammals include black-headed spider monkey, red-crested tree-rat, Handley's slender opossum, white-footed tamarin and mountain tapir.
Endangered reptiles include Daniel's large scale lizard and Colombian lightbulb lizard.
is endemic.
Endemic species of birds include the burrowing owl and velvet-fronted euphonia,
Resident birds include Andean cock-of-the-rock, black-and-chestnut eagle, blue-billed curassow, crested quetzal, golden-headed quetzal, wattled guan and yellow-eared parrot
The yellow-eared parrot is of special concern.
Migratory song-birds and raptors include broad-winged hawk, rose-breasted grosbeak, summer tanager and Swainson's hawk.
Endangered birds include Antioquia bristle tyrant, black-and-chestnut eagle, blue-billed curassow, Cauca guan, chestnut-bellied hummingbird, Fuertes's parrot, gorgeted wood quail, Tolima dove and yellow-headed brush finch.
Endangered amphibians include Santander poison frog, Huila stubfoot toad, Forest stubfoot toad, San Isidro stubfoot toad, Atelopus simulatus, Atelopus sonsonensis, Bogota stubfoot toad, Orphan salamander, Antioquia marsupial frog, Johnson's horned treefrog, Hyalinobatrachium esmeralda, Lynch's Colombian tree frog, Rio Luisito tree frog, Ruiz's rocket frog, Boqueron robber frog, Niceforonia adenobrachia, El Estadero rain frog, wine robber frog, rana camuflada, rana pierniamarilla, Hernandez's robber frog, Pristimantis jorgevelosai, rana picuda, rana camuflada, spotted robber frog, Pristimantis parectatus, Los Patos robber frog, Gambita robber frog, Pristimantis suetus, Rana de los torrentes, Pristimantis tribulosus, rana camuflada and Colombian beaked toad.

Status

The World Wide Fund for Nature gives the region the status of "Critical/Endangered".
The region is home to over 70% of the population of Colombia.
The slopes are used for farms and coffee plantations on a large scale, leaving little intact habitat other than fragments of forests.
Destruction of these fragments continues, although there is a movement to improve conservation.
The upper Magdalena basin has several parks that preserve areas above of elevation, but there is little protection of land below.
The areas in best condition are around the Cueva de los Guácharos National Natural Park in the upper Magdalena valley, and on the slopes of the Puracé volcano, Nevado del Huila and Serranía de San Lucas.
The Cinturon Andino Cluster Biosphere Reserve covers part of the ecoregion.