Colombia has 2,103 species of threatened plants and animalsamong them the wax palm, the national tree of the Andean country, reported this Wednesday the Ministry of Environment which updated the list of species in this condition, including 806 new ones.
The Ministry identified the deforestation of watersheds for agriculture and mining; pollution from dumping, urban development, population density and the decline of wetlands, as the main species threats.
The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development updated the 2017 list of threatened species and detailed that there are 465 species in critical danger (extremely high), 801 are in danger (very high) and 837 are vulnerable (high).
Between fauna Threatened are the cotton-top tamarin, the sawfish, the river turtle, the Amazonian and Caribbean manatee, the catfish and the royal turpia, among others.
Of the wild flora The guasca, the cherry tree, the carreto, the wax palm, the May flower, the mountain papaya, the black oak and the frailejón cabrera, among others, appear in that list.
The wax palm was declared the national tree of Colombia in 1985. It is one of the most iconic plants in this country, not only because of its shape, but because it lives up to 200 years and can reach more than 60 meters in height.
The trunk of the wax palm is like any other, smooth and cylindrical, but it differs because it is covered in wax. From there it gets its name.
Although it is mainly known for growing in the department of Quindío, a coffee-growing area, it also grows in several departments, including Cundinamarca, of which Bogotá is its capital.
“We present to the country an official list of new threatened wild species. This indicates that the country has greater studies of its biodiversity, allowing us to adopt the necessary measures to ensure the protection of species of wild flora and fauna“said the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad, quoted in a statement from her office.
The report reveals that of a total of 794 amphibians evaluated, 93.8% have Danger of Extinction. Some species such as the Villavicencio jumping frog, salamanders and the harlequin frog are threatened.
It had been seven years since Colombia did not update the list of threatened species. The country has 75,157 different species registered.
Source: Gestion
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