Environment

Fire consumes large swath of critical ecosystem in Colombia

Bogotá, Jan 24 (EFE).- Dozens of acres of high-elevation grasslands were consumed by a fire in the Páramo Berlín, crucial for drinking water supplies in northeastern Colombia, officials said on Wednesday.

Authorities are fighting 21 wildfires all over the country in the departments of Santander, Norte de Santander, Boyacá, Vichada, Antioquia, and Cesar, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management reported Wednesday.

Santander, in northeastern Colombia, is the most affected. Over the weekend flames consumed hundreds of acres of the Páramo Berlín, a high-elevation grassland ecosystem that is key in water conservation and supply.

Three helicopters, firefighters, police, soldiers, and volunteers were working to extinguish the fire in the Páramo Berlín, the governor of Santander, Juvenal Díaz, reported through social media.

“The conflagration remains uncontrolled, and we hope to receive more support from the national government,” he said through his X (formerly Twitter) account.

The importance of páramos

A páramo is a moor-like, high-altitude ecosystem found in the Andes Mountain Range, typically above the treeline and below the permanent snowline.

It is an ecosystem characterized by its unique vegetation adapted to the harsh conditions of the high altitude.

The species most affected by this fire is the frailejón (espeletia), which contributes to water sustainability by releasing water vapor through its roots into the soil, helping to create vast underground water reservoirs.

The Páramo Berlín is part of the Páramo Santurbán System, one of the most important drinking water reserves in the country.

The entire Páramo Santurbán system, located between 2,800 and 4,290 meters above sea level, is the water source for more than two million people.

Wildfires in Colombia

Colombia faces a wave of wildfires linked to the El Niño phenomenon, a climatic event that occurs every few years due to the warming of the Pacific Ocean.

The South American country set a new temperature record, reaching 40.4 degrees Celsius (104.72 degrees Fahrenheit) in the town of Jerusalem, in central Colombia, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies reported on Wednesday.

As a result, the Colombian government has increased the number of municipalities under alert for wildfires to 883. EFE

ocm/dgp/ics

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