Unprecedented Wildfire Season Devastates Earth's Biodiversity Hotspot in Colombia

Colombia - Ekhbary News Agency

Unprecedented Wildfire Season Devastates Earth's Biodiversity Hotspot in Colombia

Colombia, a nation renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity, is grappling with an unprecedented and devastating wildfire season. Flames have ravaged vast swathes of its territory, critically impacting the fragile and unique high-altitude Andean wetland ecosystems known as 'páramos.' Since the beginning of 2024, the country has registered more than 500 wildfires, scorching at least 42,000 acres of forests and grasslands, and shrouding the capital city, Bogotá, in a dense cloud of polluted smoke.

Nestled at the confluence of Central and South America, Colombia is a global biodiversity epicenter, harboring nearly 10% of the planet's species. Its diverse ecosystems range from the towering Andes highlands and vast plains to the Amazon rainforest. Among its unique natural treasures are the 'frailejones' plants (genus *Espeletia*), characterized by their playful appearance. These plants feature rosettes of succulent, fuzzy leaves atop thick, spongy trunks that capture mist, forming an integral part of the distinctive páramo landscape.

The páramos, high-altitude wetlands, are among the world's most rapidly evolving ecosystems. In stark contrast to the arid climates found elsewhere in the Andes, these environments are defined by their high moisture content. Despite covering only 1.7% of Colombia's landmass, they are indispensable, providing 85% of the nation's fresh drinking water. The spongy trunks of the frailejones act as natural water reservoirs, absorbing moisture during the water cycle and gradually releasing it into lakes and rivers, ensuring a consistent supply of potable water.

Historically, this inherent humidity made the páramos remarkably resistant to ignition and fire propagation. However, the current wildfire season marks a dramatic departure from this historical resilience. These delicate highlands have experienced devastating fires, with one blaze alone incinerating over 100 acres of frailejones in the Páramo de Berlín region, located in northeastern Colombia. The scale of destruction is alarming, with over 500 fires burning across the country since January 1st.

Colombia's fire season typically coincides with the dry period from December to March, and the number of fires and the area burned fluctuate annually. A 2022 study published in the journal *Fire*, analyzing data from 2000 to 2020, indicated that Colombia normally registers between 100 and 300 wildfires in January. This year, however, has seen an unprecedented surge, with the number of fires exceeding 500—the highest recorded since systematic data collection began in 1998.

While human activity is initially responsible for nearly all of this year's fires, extreme climatic conditions, characterized by intense heat and prolonged drought, have significantly exacerbated their severity and spread. Mauricio Aguilar Garavito, a fire ecologist specializing in wildfires at Colombia's Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, emphasizes that the 'fire regime has changed,' particularly in the vulnerable páramos. Paleoclimatic sediment analyses reveal that over the last approximately 10,000 years, the northern Andean páramos experienced fires roughly once every 100 to 1,000 years. 'Now,' Aguilar Garavito states, 'fires occur every two to 10 years.'

Ghisliane Echeverry Prieto, Director of Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), announced at a press conference late last month that January 2024, during the peak of the austral summer, was the hottest January recorded in Colombia in the last 30 years. Temperatures reached historic highs of 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in Honda, a small town in central Colombia surrounded by páramo ecosystems.

This extreme heat, coupled with arid conditions, is creating a tinderbox effect, igniting and rapidly spreading fires across landscapes that were once considered fire-resistant. This alarming trend raises profound concerns about the future of Colombia's biodiversity, the resilience of these unique ecosystems, and, critically, the sustained availability of fresh water for millions of inhabitants. The ongoing crisis underscores the urgent need for robust climate change adaptation strategies, enhanced fire prevention measures, and dedicated conservation efforts to protect these vital natural resources before irreversible damage occurs.

Ekhbary News Agency