WCS Northern Andes

WCS in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela
The Northern Andes region is one of the most biologically diverse areas of the planet. The Pacific and Caribbean coasts encompass a diversity of marine environments, flanked by the Chocó on the Pacific and a variety of dry ecosystems on the Atlantic. Moving inland, the Andes spread in several ranges with complex geological histories, resulting in a number of endemic plant and animal species. Farther inland, on the Colombia-Venezuela frontier, lay magnificent savannas, and further to the east, the Orinoco basin. There, the Caura River system is home to some of the region’s most pristine and diverse forest ecosystems and cultural traditions. A network of rivers originating in the Northern Andes forms the headwaters of the northeastern Amazon basin, linking the Andes to Amazonia.

WCS involvement in this region began with the expeditions of Dr. William Beebe to Venezuela in the early 1900s. During the last decade, WCS launched several new projects to conserve this grand ecological diversity. We work to save wildlife across the Northern Andes, from lowland rain forests to cloud forests and páramos straddling mountain ranges.

The Human Aspect
The region’s biological diversity is paralleled by its human diversity. WCS works with native tribes, local communities, and city-based policy makers to tackle conservation problems. We also build local capacity, by training communities and park officers and educating young conservation professionals. This strengthens the ability of local stakeholders at all levels to understand current threats and make the most informed conservation and management decisions. WCS also forms strategic alliances with other non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

Threats
Highland ecosystems are threatened by long-term deforestation and habitat fragmentation while lowland forests are threatened by oil exploration, large-scale forestry, and development projects such as dams and highways. Hunting and unsustainable wildlife use are threats across the region.

WCS Activities
WCS approaches conservation from different angles. In the Central Andes of Colombia, we are relying on a regional approach to design a network of protected areas, whose management is integrated with surrounding areas. WCS uses a landscape species approach to set priorities in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park. Species-focused approaches help us address conservation issues related to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict, as with spectacled bears and Orinoco crocodiles. To inform government policy, WCS works with and advises local and national governments. Through hands-on programs tailored to young professionals, park staff, and local people, we are training the next generation of conservationists.

WCS researchers generate basic information regarding the systems and species of this remarkable region. We are surveying terrestrial ecosystems and rivers of the Caura watershed, in the confluence between the Guiana Shield, the Amazon, and the Venezuelan Llanos, in order to determine the conservation needs and biological importance of this unique area. In central Colombia, we study the spatial patterns of biodiversity and their dynamics to understand how the last remnants of cloud forest function, what their conservation needs are, and how these forests can be restored. In the lowlands of Ecuador, we evaluate habitat needs for landscape species to guide management decisions and set conservation priorities.

Important Next Steps
· Develop a community-based conservation plan for the upper and middle Caura watershed (Venezuelan Guayana).
· Develop a participatory conservation plan for the dry forest in the Paraguaná Peninsula (Venezuela).
· Complete the design of a network of protected areas in the central Andes of Colombia.
· Consolidate a regional bear conservation program for Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador that addresses human-bear conflicts.
· Develop a mechanism to mitigate the oil industry’s impact on the ecosystems and wildlife of the Yasuní landscape in Ecuador.
· Continue efforts in capacity building through courses and hands-on training.
· Collaborate with regional and national governments in the development of new policies governing protected areas and oil exploration.
· Expand the program to the Colombian and Venezuelan savannas and dry forests.