Ecological Assessment for a Restoration Project in an Andean Forest, Santander, Colombia.
Date
2025-02-26
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Publisher
Universidad CES
Abstract
Colombian Andean Forests are biodiversity hotspots threatened by human activities, making ecological restoration a priority. This article outlines a restoration plan based on the initial assessment of the San Vicente property in Santander, Colombia. The assessment involved gathering data from primary and secondary sources about the landscape, land use, weather, soil, vegetation coverages, flora, and fauna. This information was used to evaluate the property's conservation status and identify restoration barriers to develop effective recovery strategies for the ecosystem. San Vicente's primary coverage was low-dense forest, with a lower proportion of weedy pastures, wooded pastures, and low and high secondary vegetation. The forest is in good conservation status and can be used as a reference ecosystem. The main barriers to restoration were soil alterations, hydrography, and the presence of Eagle Fern and exotic grasses. The selected restoration strategies for the degraded areas include natural regeneration, active planting, hydrography management, and control of exotic species, along with planting native vegetation cores and establishing bird perches and bat shelters. We expect these strategies to successfully restore the historical succession processes of the ecosystem and hope this project will serve as a model for other RNSC restoration efforts in the region.
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Keywords
Ecological Restoration, Landscape Characterization, Ecosystem Characterization, Restoration strategies, Ecosystem Quality