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Páramos at risk: The interconnected threats to a biodiversity hotspot
The pressures of climate change and human land use could lead to the disappearance of unique biodiversity and vital ecological services.
Image Credit: The Bogotá Post
On a recent, pre-pandemic journey to the High Andes of Colombia, I
found myself surrounded by one of the region’s emblematic species, the
flowering shrubs known locally as
frailejones or “big monks.” These giant plants, relatives of sunflowers from the
Espeletia genus, mesmerized me, their yellow buds and silvery hairs glistening in the intense, ephemeral sunlight.
Looking out over the vast, rolling landscape, I wondered how such a stunning, incomparable ecosystem can be taken for granted. ....

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