Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Setting practical conservation priorities for birds in the Western Andes of Colombia.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ocampo-Peñuela, N; Pimm, SL
Published in: Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology
October 2014

We aspired to set conservation priorities in ways that lead to direct conservation actions. Very large-scale strategic mapping leads to familiar conservation priorities exemplified by biodiversity hotspots. In contrast, tactical conservation actions unfold on much smaller geographical extents and they need to reflect the habitat loss and fragmentation that have sharply restricted where species now live. Our aspirations for direct, practical actions were demanding. First, we identified the global, strategic conservation priorities and then downscaled to practical local actions within the selected priorities. In doing this, we recognized the limitations of incomplete information. We started such a process in Colombia and used the results presented here to implement reforestation of degraded land to prevent the isolation of a large area of cloud forest. We used existing range maps of 171 bird species to identify priority conservation areas that would conserve the greatest number of species at risk in Colombia. By at risk species, we mean those that are endemic and have small ranges. The Western Andes had the highest concentrations of such species-100 in total-but the lowest densities of national parks. We then adjusted the priorities for this region by refining these species ranges by selecting only areas of suitable elevation and remaining habitat. The estimated ranges of these species shrank by 18-100% after accounting for habitat and suitable elevation. Setting conservation priorities on the basis of currently available range maps excluded priority areas in the Western Andes and, by extension, likely elsewhere and for other taxa. By incorporating detailed maps of remaining natural habitats, we made practical recommendations for conservation actions. One recommendation was to restore forest connections to a patch of cloud forest about to become isolated from the main Andes.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology

DOI

EISSN

1523-1739

ISSN

0888-8892

Publication Date

October 2014

Volume

28

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1260 / 1270

Related Subject Headings

  • Geographic Mapping
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Colombia
  • Birds
  • Biodiversity
  • Animals
  • Animal Distribution
  • 4104 Environmental management
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Ocampo-Peñuela, N., & Pimm, S. L. (2014). Setting practical conservation priorities for birds in the Western Andes of Colombia. Conservation Biology : The Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, 28(5), 1260–1270. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12312
Ocampo-Peñuela, Natalia, and Stuart L. Pimm. “Setting practical conservation priorities for birds in the Western Andes of Colombia.Conservation Biology : The Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology 28, no. 5 (October 2014): 1260–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12312.
Ocampo-Peñuela N, Pimm SL. Setting practical conservation priorities for birds in the Western Andes of Colombia. Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology. 2014 Oct;28(5):1260–70.
Ocampo-Peñuela, Natalia, and Stuart L. Pimm. “Setting practical conservation priorities for birds in the Western Andes of Colombia.Conservation Biology : The Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, vol. 28, no. 5, Oct. 2014, pp. 1260–70. Epmc, doi:10.1111/cobi.12312.
Ocampo-Peñuela N, Pimm SL. Setting practical conservation priorities for birds in the Western Andes of Colombia. Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology. 2014 Oct;28(5):1260–1270.
Journal cover image

Published In

Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology

DOI

EISSN

1523-1739

ISSN

0888-8892

Publication Date

October 2014

Volume

28

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1260 / 1270

Related Subject Headings

  • Geographic Mapping
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Colombia
  • Birds
  • Biodiversity
  • Animals
  • Animal Distribution
  • 4104 Environmental management