CA

Caldas department in Colombia's Coffee Triangle represents a critical biodiversity hotspot within the Chocó-Magdalena and Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena regions. The department's location along the Central Cordillera creates diverse altitudinal gradients supporting cloud forests, montane ecosystems, and remnant dry forests in the Cauca River valley. According to IUCN Red List 2025 data, all 77 assessed species in Caldas are threatened, with every single species classified as Critically Endangered—an unprecedented conservation crisis. This includes 100% threat rates across all taxonomic groups: mammals (6/6), birds (5/5), amphibians (12/12), insects (14/14), other invertebrates (38/38), and molluscs (2/2). The department's coffee cultivation landscape, while economically vital, has fragmented natural habitats extensively. Deforestation for agriculture, urban expansion around Manizales, and climate change impacts on high-altitude ecosystems pose immediate threats. Mining activities in certain municipalities further pressure remaining natural areas. The Nevados National Natural Park protects some high-altitude páramo and cloud forest, but connectivity between protected areas remains limited. Caldas' position as a biological corridor between the Magdalena and Cauca valleys makes its conservation critical for regional species movement and genetic exchange throughout Colombia's Andean ecosystems.

Source: IUCN Red List 2025-2, GBIF, national survey data