Species' habitat change over twenty years in Colombia's tropical dry forests
Colombia’s Tropical Dry Forests have experienced significant habitat loss and fragmentation, with the Species Habitat Index showing about a 20% decline in habitat and connectivity from 2000–2020. Analysis of 755 species reveals limited remaining habitat and low connectivity, emphasizing the urgent need for restoration and regionally tailored nature‑based solutions.
Subject Tags
- Nature-based solutions
- Habitat restoration
- Forest
Abstract
Countries worldwide are working together under the Convention on Biological Diversity to tackle biodiversity loss. As part of this effort, the monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework includes a set of indicators to evaluate progress toward its goals and targets. One of them is the Species Habitat Index (SHI), a component indicator supporting Goal A, which measures changes in habitat extent and connectivity for multiple species. Here, we used the SHI to assess the state of species' habitats in Colombia's Tropical Dry Forests (TDF) from 2000 to 2020. This ecosystem has undergone extensive degradation and fragmentation, being reduced to less than 7–8 % of their original extent, dropping to as much as 2 % for certain regions. Overall, we found that Colombia's TDF have lost nearly one-third of its cover since 1990, despite a modest gain between 2010 and 2018. Most losses resulted from conversion to pastureland, although some forest regrowth was observed in most regions. We calculated the SHI values for 755 species (237 birds, 68 mammals and 450 plants) using official land cover data and examined habitat connectivity using both GISFrag and Omniscape. Across the potential TDF area, habitat and connectivity declined by approximately 20 % between 2000 and 2020, leaving only ∼860,000 ha of habitat for these 755 species. Species associated with natural habitats showed lower SHI values than those adapted to artificial environments; and mammals, many of which are threatened, had the lowest scores. About 12 % of the remaining habitat lies within protected areas. The increasing extent of successional forests, over 1000,000 ha, indicates a high potential of natural regeneration and provides insights for guiding restoration. Our results underscore the urgency of implementing nature based solutions. Regionally-tailored strategies will be critical to maintaining connectivity in this highly fragmented ecosystem.
Citation
Arce-Plata, M. I., Norden, N., Burbano-Girón, J., Larocque, G., Díaz, M. C., Rodriguez-Buriticá, S., ... & Poisot, T. (2026). Species' habitat change over twenty years in Colombia's tropical dry forests. Ecological Indicators, 182, 114562.
TNC Authors
-
Jaime Burbano-Giron
Science and Adaptation Specialist. Northern Andes and South Central America
The Nature Conservancy
Email: jaime.burbano@tnc.org