Andean forests are about to disappear

1994/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Many times we automatically associate the risk of deforestation with the Amazon rainforest, and there is no reason to do so, considering that it has already lost 20% of the total area. However, do not forget that since the beginning of this century 90% of the mountain forest in the north of the Andes has been lost.

It is true that in the Amazon rainforest the tree diversity per hectare is greater than in the mountain forest, but in the case of shrubs, epiphytes or mosses occurs the other way around. In addition, when clouds are generated at these heights a special microclimate is formed, with high humidity and low temperature. This allows the growth of endemic species, that is, they are not found anywhere else in the world.

Today more than 70 million people live in the northern Andes, the largest mountain population in the world. In addition, the exploitation of gold mines in Ecuador, Costa Rican livestock and coca fields in Bolivia or Colombia have caused a major disaster.

We know that in the Andes there has been a lot of potatoes, beans, quinines and spices worldwide, and that their momentum is fundamental for experts.