photo by Friedrich Kircher
If you are doing a hiking or trekking tour of Colombia then páramos should be at the top of your destinations list. Páramos are very special ecosystems that reside in high altitudes between forested tree lines and glaciers. Think of them as the tweens that reside between these two vastly different climates and ecosystems. These rare, yet important ecosystems do everything from supplying water to villages to providing one-of-a-kind homes for unique species. Only three countries in the world have páramos, with Colombia having the majority of them, and they are a must-see.
photo by Ltshears via (Creative Commons)
What to See in a Páramo
Colombia has thirty-four different páramos or moorlands covering native soil with each of them offer a varying range of flora and fauna. However, there’s one plant that steals the spotlight in all the páramos and that’s the frailejón. So what’s so special about this plant? For starters, the thick leaves catch the dew and mist from the low-hanging clouds and then funnel the moisture into the soil keeping the ground fertile. And on a larger scale, these plants help funnel water into water sources that supply Colombian cities including Bogota.
Aside from these beauties, hundreds of indigenous orchid species and a plethora of endemic tree species also pepper páramos including the Wax Palm and the Colombian Pine. But what about animals? Páramos have a vast showcase of wildlife on offer as well including indigenous raccoon species, deer species, golden eagles and condors. Monkeys, jaguars and the elusive Colombian spectacled bear also call páramos home.
So what’s the best way to visit? You must reach out to an in-the-know guide to help you plan your customized adventure tour for both safety and clearance reasons. First off, the weather in páramos is apt to change very suddenly so it’s best to be with a guide who knows how to bob and weave with mother nature’s temper. And secondly, many páramos require special government-approved access since they’re so important to sustaining life in all of Colombia so only the best and most reputable tour companies get the clearance to run trips in these areas.
photo by Friedrich Kircher
Why Páramos are Important
So páramos are beautiful but why are they important? Aside from being dubbed evolutionary hot spots which means they play a huge role in the evolution, creation and extinction of a variety of species, they also house 60% of species that are only endemic to those regions.
And with so few of these páramos around the world, it’s absolutely important that visitors and governments alike work towards protecting these lands that are important to sustaining the evolution of many species and plants. Secondly, some páramos are also considered sacred by the indigenous Muisca people and damaging these lands would directly negatively impact their way of life and traditions. And thirdly, without the páramos, Colombia would not have the necessary water resources to sustain its current population let alone future generations.
So what’s the threat to the páramos? Corporations seeking the precious metals that are buried within the rich soil. But what is gained versus what would be lost with the mass mining and discovery of these resources is completely irreversible.
How to Stop Destruction
With all things, education and understanding are the key points to express in fighting against manmade forces that will destroy these páramos. With more knowledge and awareness comes power and with enough people on the side of conservation, the government will hear the collective plea and put stricter laws in place that protect the páramos for future generations.
See this rich and vital ecosystem on an Uncharted Colombia páramo adventure tour and experience it in depth by hiking through its wonders.