Proyecto Ognorhynchos/Paul Salaman The Yellow-eared Parrot is Critically Endangered and numbers around 150 individuals. It lives in the Colombian Andes outside of any protected areas Zoom In

Key Andean wildlife sites under threat

03-08-2005

The most comprehensive inventory to date of some of South America's globally important areas for birds and biodiversity reveals that more than half have no legal designation.

Important Bird Areas in the Tropical Andes, published today by BirdLife International and Conservation International, identifies 455 sites that cover 17% of the region's total land area, of which 250 (55%) are unprotected.

An astonishing 2,681 bird species – more than a quarter of the world's total – are found in the five tropical Andean countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Such diversity occurs because of the great contrasts in habitats, which range from snow capped mountain peaks and the high Andean Puna to rich humid lowland rainforests of the Amazon, dry tropical forests and scrub and marine habitats. The area also supports 180 species of North American migratory birds.

"We believe that the Tropical Andes IBA inventory provides a sound basis for the development of national conservation strategies and protected areas planning. Experience in other regions has highlighted the vital role that IBAs play in both conserving a wealth of other plants and animals as well as providing sustainable resources for local communities." —Ian Davidson, Head of BirdLife's Americas Division

An estimated 60,000 plants are also known from the region, as well as 686 mammals (208 of them endemic) and 1,383 amphibians (1,009 of them endemic) – all this in just 3% of the world's landmass.

The inventory warns that 201 of these species (13%) are threatened with extinction unless these vital areas are adequately protected and managed. 23 of these are Critically Endangered, requiring immediate conservation action.

The book has been a major scientific undertaking. Over the last eight years, around 600 ornithologists and volunteers have been involved in gathering data from the five countries. The end result is a network of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) that covers 17% of the land area including all the region's major biomes.