Humboldt Institute Publishes Definitive Work on Colombia’s Dry Forests

The Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt of Colombia has published a new book on the Tropical Dry Forests of Colombia, “El Bosque Seco Tropical en Colombia.”  Tropical dry forests are one of the most endangered, yet least studied ecosystems of the tropics. These ecosystems used to represent 40% of the forest cover in Latin America and feature high levels of endemism.  Colombia’s dry forests include at least 2600 plant, 250 bird, 60 mammal and 60 amphibian species. This new book, edited by Camila Pizano and Hernando García, reviews and presents new data and analyses by over forty authors of dry forest species, ecosystem health and opportunities for restoration.  The studies also reveal that only about 4% of the cover of Tropical Dry Forest in Colombia remains and only 5% of what is left is protected in conservation areas.  JRS is proud to support the Humboldt Institute to digitize and publish online information from permanant plots in five regions of Colombia, “Bridging the gap between permanent plots and plant conservation in Colombia.”