Río Frío Valley (14417)
Colombia, South America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, B2
Year of last assessment: 2023
National site name: Valle del Río Frío
Central coordinates: Latitude: 10.9100, Longitude: -74.0700
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 600 to 4200
Area of KBA (km2): 327.19292
Protected area coverage (%): 0.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Río Frío Valley is located in the western part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the municipality of Ciénaga, department of Magdalena, northwestern Colombia. The Río Frío Valley has its origin in the páramo region and the Chubdalá lagoons. From there a steep valley is formed that continues to the flat parts of the Ciénaga Grande. The present vegetation includes the páramo from 3,500 m, the humid montane and premontane forest and the tropical forest in the lower parts of the valley. Below 500 m, the forest is almost non-existent and the land is intensively cultivated, in addition to the presence of cattle ranching and banana crops. Between 500 and 2,000 m, the valley is a mosaic of premontane humid forest fragments, shade-grown coffee plantations, and grasslands. The large extensions of forest are located above 2,000 m.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This KBA is home to several threatened and range-restricted birds species. Two of these birds species triggered the A1B criteria (Grallaria bangsi and Clibanornis rufipectus) and other nine species triggered the B2 criteria (Ramphomicron dorsale, Chlorostilbon russatus, Synallaxis fuscorufa, Atlapetes melanocephalus, Myiothlypis conspicillata, Anisognathus melanogenys, Scytalopus sanctaemartae, Drymophila hellmayri and Megascops gilesi)
Manageability of the site: The Rio Frio Valley is managed by the Corporación Autónoma Regional del Magdalena - CORPAMAG. Local communities are committed to the conservation of species and habitats in their region
Other site values: There is presence of indigenous communities called Kogui-Malayo-Arhuaco
Delineation rationale: Only new biodiversity was added to this KBA, so there was no change to its original boundaries. Some of the trigger species may use agricultural zones from seldomly to frequently to move around the landscape, find alternative food resources during the dry season, or collect nest material
Habitats
Land use: Land use is currently distributed as follows: Forest in 71-80% (Montane broadleaf evergreen forest | Second-growth or disturbed fores) and Artificial-Terrestrial in 21-30% (Arable land)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Aquatic | Rural Gardens | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | Plantations | |
| Forest | Forest – Subtropical/tropical dry | |
| Artificial - Aquatic | Urban Areas | |
| Forest | Forest – Subtropical/tropical mangrove vegetation above high tide level |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Currently, the increasing human presence in the region is exerting strong pressures on the natural balance of the area. In this way, activities such as the intensification and expansion of agriculture, vegetation burning, deforestation, logging, and the spread of illicit crops are becoming more common in the zone.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Unknown |
Additional information
Contributors: Alexander von Humboldt Institute