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Colombia |
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Location |
On
Northern part of South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea |
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National
websites |
Colombian
Government Trade Bureau Colombia: Ministry
of Health (in Spanish) Colombia:
INVIMA (in Spanish) Colombia:
Ministry of Agriculture (in Spanish) |
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Embassy
/ Chancery in U.S. |
2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington,
DC 20008 |
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Agencies
responsible for biological inventory and conservation |
Minister for the Environment |
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Non-governmental
organizations concerned with conservation |
See Colombia
Country Report for a list of some non-governmental organizations EnviroLink
Library -- Fundación Natura Colombia NIPR:
Country Briefings: The Economics of Industrial Pollution Control research
team International Centre of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) Latin American Federation of Young Environmentalists(FLAJA)
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Major Natural
Resources |
Colombiafs natural resources include petroleum, natural
gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds. The country contains forests
of the Northern Andes (also in Peru and Ecuador), which is one of the Earth's
biologically richest forests.
Forty-nine percent of Colombiafs total land mass is covered by forests
that house 10 percent of the world's biodiversity[1]Colombia
is the second most diverse country in terms of species per land unit. This biodiversity holds great scenic
and cultural value, but more importantly, has potential medicinal value. Furthermore, the diversity gis the basis for all ecological
relations that result in the balance of regional ecosystems and the world
climate.h (Colombia
Country Program) |
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Major
Environmental and Conservation Issues |
Road constrution and colonization have decreased
Colombiafs forests significantly.
The countryfs quest to expand itfs economy has led to deforestation at
a rate of 1.5 to 2.2 milllion acres a year. Its largest exports contribute to deforestation and given
the current rate, it is estimated that Colombiafs forests will be depleted in
40 years (see Deforestation
in Colombia Case). However,
according to the World Resources Institute, Colombia is leading the Latin
American countries in taking action: gOnly Venezuela and Colombia have
strongly restricted logging, mining, and other extractive activities, and
Venezuela may soon buckle under severe economic pressure to exploit its rich
natural resourcesh (see Last
Frontier Forests: Regional Overview: South America). Another problem in Colombia is
pollution due to pesticides, especially an herbicide called Tebuthiuron--in
fact, this is such a great concern that even Dow Agro Sciences has
joined efforts to prevent itfs misuse (see Dow Chemical joins the effort
to spike pesticide in Colombia).
Colombia also suffers from air pollution, especially in Bogota, where
vehicle emissions can be easily trapped by mountains. Also, pollution from sewages
has made water from Bogota River not only unfit for drinking, but also
cleaning. The United States and
Colombia have combined their efforts in the U.S.-COLOMBIA
ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT. |
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Statistics |
Information Sources |
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Land
area |
1,038,700 sq km |
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Area
of forest |
100,210 sq km |
Click here for a map of Forests in South America
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Area
of wetlands |
Nearly ¼
of Colombiafs national territory is comprised of the Amazonian region, which
is described as ga vast complex of wetlands.h |
Wetlands
in South America (scroll down to Case Study 4) |
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Area
of territorial waters |
100,210 sq km |
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Population |
38,580,949 |
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Population
Density |
~37
persons/ sq. km |
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Area
protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels |
1,138,915 sq km |
World Conservation
Monitoring Centre - Protected Areas Information, search for Colombia |
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Fraction
of land area protected (%) |
8.2% |
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Major
Protected Areas |
Information Center for the Environment |
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Endemic
Species |
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World
Resources 1996-97 Data Query (numbers are from 1990) |
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Endangered,
Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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Extinct
Species |
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Species
listed on CITES Appendix I |
CITES-listed Species
Database (Click on Fauna, search for All-CITES, Appendix I, Colombia, for
a list of these 44 species.) |
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Species
listed on CITES Appendix II |
(Search for
Fauna, All-CITES, Appendix II, Colombia, for a list of these 378 species) |
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Legislation |
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Laws
protecting endangered or threatened species |
Protecting
Biodiversity in Colombia: New Laws to Shield Old Traditions Colombia
Country Program: Extended Overview gColombia has put the concept of sustainable development
into its new Constitutional Charterh gIn Colombia, several regulations were passed as part of
the National Code on Renewable Resources and Environmental Protection,
including decrees on hydrobiological resources (1978) and the use of marine
resources (1979).h ga comprehensive environmental plan was published in
August 1991, and a Tropical Forestry Action Program has been in operation
since 1989h (Policy
Responses and Directions: Latin America and the Caribbean: National
Initiatives) Also, the government has enacted programs to charge taxes
for pollution: Policy
Research Bulletin vol.9, No.2 and click on link to article entitled gColombiafs Pollution Charge System: Implementation,
Impact, and Implicationsh |
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Laws
protecting endangered ecosystems |
Click here if youfd like to know more about Environmental
policy for Colombia |
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Signatory
to CITES |
1991 (see CITES Parties) |
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Signatory
to Ramsar Wetlands Convention |
Ratified
in 1998 -- Click here to see National
Report of Colombia for COP7, 1999 |
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Signatory
to Convention on Biological Diversity |
Ratified
in 1994 |
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Signatory
to Migratory Bird Treaty |
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Member
of International Whaling Commission |
Not a
member: International
Whaling Commission |
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Signatory
to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological
resources |
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Natural Resource Use |
Information Sources |
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Fisheries |
Click on the link on the right for more information,
including a table of statistics. |
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Forestry |
See gMajor Environmental Issuesh and gTrade in
Wildlife Productsh |
Deforestation in
Colombia Case The
Tropical Lowland Forests of the Choco-Colombia |
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Ecotourism |
Click on the link for a related article |
COLOMBIA:
Ecotourism Trapped Between Biodiversity and Insecurity |
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Trade
in wildlife products |
Coca and poppy, both harmful to the environment, are exported illegally. the primary exporter of processed cocaine products is Colombia. Primary importers of processed cocaine are the United States, Western Europe, Japan, and more ecently Eastern Europe.
Colombia's four largest legal exports are oil, cut flowers,
coffee, and bananas, all of which contribute to
deforestation. gColombia is currently exporting oils produced from organically grown plants with an environmentally conscious Belgian soap manufacturer called Ecover. Because such trade is considered eco-friendly, Colombia has been granted exemption from EC import duties on these products (French, 107).h (See Deforestation in Colombia Case) Colombia is the third largest Latin American exporter of oil to the United States. Colombia also clears forests and uses pesticides to grow roses, and the boxes of flowers are used to traffic drugs to the United States. |
Rose
Trade and the Environment |
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Hunting |
Hunting of Chachalacas in
Colombia |
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Other
uses of natural resources |
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Human Impacts on Natural Resources |
Information Sources |
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Air
pollution |
Use of pesticides in cultivation of coca and poppy Vehicle emissions in mountain-ringed Bogota |
See links under gTrade in wildlife productsh |
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Water
pollution |
Dumping of Polyvinyl Chloride from U.S. exports |
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Development
activities |
Deforestation due to road construction (see top of page,
Environmental Summary) |
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Introduced
species |
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Legislation
addressing these issues |
Colombia:
ANTIDUMPING DUTY: POLYVINYL CHLORIDE Colombia:
EXIMBANK'S ENIRONMENTAL SUPPORT --it has been against the law to grow coca or poppy and to
make cocaine or heroine since 1947 |
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Restoration and Reintroduction |
Information Sources |
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Programs
for restoration of damaged habitat |
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Programs
for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered
species |
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Return to Endangered Species Protection
around the World
Page compiled by Sana Ahmedani as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of
Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor),
University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA