Colombia

is mega. Located in the north-west of South America, it is one of what have been called the five "megadiverse countries" in the world, i.e. countries that possess an exceptional wealth of plant and animal species - known as a biodiv hotspot. We only need to look a few figures to realise just how special Colombia is.
Stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, the country covers "only" 0.8% of the world's land surface, yet, with between 45,000 and 51,000 species, it is home to some 15% of the all plant species in the world. And with1,752 bird species and 583 amphibians, Colombia has a biodiversity of fauna unrivalled by any other country. Moreover, in terms of the number of species of flora that only occur in one specific region, the so-called endemic species, Colombia is also a world leader.

One reason for this huge wealth of biological resources is the wide variety of landscapes across Colombia. The country has 18 different "ecosystem regions" with 65 different ecosystems, covering an area of 1.14 million km². Colombia is the second most biologically diverse country in Latin America. And this does not even take into account the richness of biodiversity in the Chocó region near the Pacific and in the peripheral parts of the Orinoco plains and Amazonia - for the biosphere here is still largely unexplored.

Data on biodiversity in Colombia

Biodiversity of Germany - Colombia in comparison

Source: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt. "Informe Nacional sobre el Estado de la Biodiversidad en Colombia". Santafé de Bogotá, Kolumbien, 1998

Yet although Colombia has this high diversity of species, it is being destroyed at an alarming rate. The country is currently going through a process of rapid change, which is causing considerable damage to its uniquely diverse biosphere. The reasons for the loss of biological resources are manifold: a lack of appreciation of the value of biodiversity at the political level and insufficient scientific knowledge play a role in this situation, as do factors like inappropriate land use, the incursion of arable farming and the illegal plantation of drug crops. Moreover, the cutting down of forest for fuelwood and to supply the timber trade are resulting in a particularly serious loss of biodiversity. It is now estimated that the loss of forest cover across the country already amounts to 40%.

The Colombian government ratified the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1994, not least in response to this dramatic loss of biological resources. The CBD sets out an international legal framework for promoting conservation, knowledge and the sustainable use of biodiversity. The signatory states pledge to pursue a fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of biological resources and the related knowledge, innovations and practices of national science, industry and local communities.
In addition, the Convention on Biological Diversity calls for international cooperation between the countries with rich but threatened biosphere resources and the industrialised countries in order to promote protection, scientific research and sustainable development. This is the background to the close cooperation of recent years between the Federal Republic of Germany and Colombia.