San Lucas Mountain Range (14453)
Colombia, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, B1, B2

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Serranía de San Lucas

Central coordinates: Latitude: 7.7900, Longitude: -74.3200

System: terrestrial, freshwater

Elevation (m): 150 to 2600

Area of KBA (km²): 6749.62828

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The Serranía de San Lucas It extends in a north-south direction, more or less parallel to the Sierra de Ocaña, in the Western Cordillera, on the other bank of the Magdalena River; It is more than 200 km long, has an average width of 40 km, and its maximum heights exceed 2,000 meters above sea level. It borders to the north with the towns of Barranco de Loba, San Martín de Loba, El Banco, Tamalameque, La Gloria and its northernmost foothills are embedded in the La Mojana swamp complex, which contains more than a hundred small marshes and a dozens of large bodies of water, such as the Zapatosa Marsh, the Chilloa Marsh, and the Loba Marsh. On these first foothills, which reach 500 meters above sea level, are the Malanoche, Tangal, Las Iglesias, Playitas and La Mojana hills.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: The Serranía de San Lucas is important for the conservation of two birds species, the threatened and range-restricted Crax alberti that triggered the A1a and B2 critiera and Melanerpes pulcher that triggered only the B2 criteria.

Manageability of the site: The Serranía de San Lucas is managed by the Corporación Autónoma Regional del Sur de Bolívar - CSB and Corporación Autónoma Regional del Centro de Antioquia - CORANTIOQUIA

Other site values: There is data on the presence of afro-descendant communities called Chaparrosa and Nueva Esperanza. Regarding indigenous communities, it is known of the presence of Zenú and the Embera Katios

Delineation rationale: Only new biodiversity was added to this KBA, so there was no change to its original boundaries.

Habitats

Land use: Land use is currently distributed as follows: Forest (Montane broadleaf evergreen forest) and Artificial-Terrestrial in 81-90%

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest		Forest – Subtropical/tropical dry
Artificial - Aquatic		Rural Gardens
Artificial - Aquatic		Plantations
Forest		Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist lowland

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching	Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming	Ongoing
Energy production & mining	Mining & quarrying		Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Intentional use: large scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Shifting agriculture	Ongoing

Additional information