Seaflower Biosphere Reserve (14414)
Colombia, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1d, B1

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Reserva de Biosfera Seaflower

Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.5500, Longitude: -81.7100

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 360

Area of KBA (km²): 61156.24293

Protected area coverage (%): 99.92

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The Seaflower Biosphere Reserve is made up of the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, made up of the Alburquerque and Bolívar keys and the banks of Roncador, Serrana, Quitasueño and Serranilla and the larger islands that bear their name. Its shape is elongated with a southwest-northeast direction, being the northernmost territory of the country that represents national sovereignty in the Caribbean Sea without interruption from Cartagena de Indias (Taylor et al. 2000). The differences in terms of the geological formation of the islands generated a differentiated faunal and floristic composition between islands, with Providencia being the one with the greatest affinity for the Antillean type and San Andrés for the Central American type. The larger islands and atolls of the archipelago are linked to the formation of the elevation of Nicaragua and the Caribbean Sea (Geister and Díaz 1997). The human population of the archipelago is made up of raizales, a legally recognized ethnic group, and continental immigrants from Colombia and foreigners. Most of the inhabitants are concentrated in the municipal capitals of the larger islands. About half of the population of the archipelago was born within it. In San Andrés the Raizal population is a minority while in Providencia they are still a majority. This situation has generated a social conflict between cultures and has demanded in the islander a valuable interest in preserving their culture (Pot 2001).

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The Seaflower Biosphere Reserve is home to several geographically restricted and threatened species that triggered some KBA criterion. This species are: in Cnidaria, two species as Acropora cervicornis (Staghorn Coral) triggered A1a and A1c criteria, and Agaricia lamarcki (Lamarck's sheet coral) triggered the A1a criteria; for Actinopterygii, five species triggered the A1b criterias as they are Coryphopterus eidolon, C. hyalinus, C. personatus, C. tortugae and Lachnolaimus maximus; a reptilian species, Anolis pinchoti, triggered the B1 criteria and lastly, Vireo caribaeus triggered the A1b and B1 criteria.

Manageability of the site: The Seaflower Biosphere Reserve is managed by the Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina.

Delineation rationale: The delineation of this KBA was made following the boundaries of the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve stablished declared in 2000 by UNESCO's “Man and Biosphere” program.

Habitats

Land use: Land use is currently distributed as follows: Forest in 31-40% (Mangrove) and Unknown

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Marine Deep Ocean Floor (Benthic and Demersal)		Abyssopelagic (4,000–6,000 m)
Marine Neritic		Marine Neritic – Subtidal loose rock/pebble/gravel
Forest	44.03	Forest – Subtropical/tropical mangrove vegetation above high tide level
Marine Deep Ocean Floor (Benthic and Demersal)		Bathypelagic (1,000–4,000 m)

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Residential & commercial development	Tourism & recreation areas		Ongoing
Residential & commercial development	Housing & urban areas		Ongoing
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Intentional use: large scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Pollution	Domestic & urban waste water	Type Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing

Additional information