Nature and Science
Ecosystems:
Due to its geographical, climatic, and geomorphologic conditions, the park contains tropical rainforest, sub-Andean forest, Andean forest, paramo, and snow line systems.
Hydrography:
The Sierra is a site of headwaters that produce abundant flows, including 35 principal rivers, 16 of which begin in the park. The rivers supply the coastal floodplains and the valleys of the Cesar and Ariguaní Rivers. Similarly, they feed an extensive semi-arid zone of La Guajira, especially the valley of the Ranchería River, and supply the aqueducts used by nearly 1.5 million inhabitants of several major cities and towns near the massif, including farm crops, cattle farms, and mining enterprises in the lower altitudes.
Fauna:
Of the 340 endemic species registered in Colombia, 44 are found in the park. Of the 3,057 endangered species in the Sierra, 44 are found. The fauna is made up of species like the tapir, puma, squirrel, otter, and brocket; birds include the Andean condor, the great tinamou, and the blue-billed curassow.
Mammals
In this group are the tapir, the brocket, the squirrel, the talamancan rice rat, the puma, the jaguar, and the otter.
Birds
The birds in the park are especially varied in species. Some examples are the black-fronted wood-quail, the King vulture, the Andean condor, the Santa Marta warbler, tinamous, the blossom crown, the paujil, two species of guans, seven species of endemic hummingbirds, the Santa Marta parakeet, the woodpecker, curassows, wrens, and thrushes.
Fish
In the rivers and arroyos of the Sierra there is primarily a small species of catfish, Trichomycterus nigromaculatus, as well as the mountain mullet and the bobo mullet.
Vegetation:Forms of life in the massif, especially at temperate, cold, and paramo altitudes, are very similar to those of the Andes as a whole, especially on the East Range. Flora endemic to the zone include an arboreal frailejon, sometimes called “Sierra tobacco,” two species of palm, a species of woody vine, and sedges.
Flora
The tropical equatorial rainforest is characterized by having perennifolial trees, such as Anacardium excelsum and a type of wild avocado. At higher elevations there are palms, and at colder levels there are “encenillos,” Andean wax palms, and Colombian pine. Sub-paramo forests have paramo rosemary, while the paramos have scrub thickets and “Sierra tobacco” as well as an endemic species of frailejon.
THORNY THICKETS
This type of vegetation is made up of species which are low-lying and never rise above 10 meters in height. Many plants and bushes have thorns, and others completely lose their leaves during dry seasons, becoming grey in color.
CORAL FORMATIONS OR REEFS
Coral formations are produced by ancient life forms which form associations. These life forms have existed for over 200 million years. Hard corals are calcareous structured shaped by colonies of small animals called polyps which have a centralized mouth surrounded by tentacles they use to hunt. Diminutive algae provide the polyps with the additional energy their need to build their strongholds. Each species has a unique growth pattern. There are massive, rounded, ramified, and laminar corals, for example. Soft corals are formed by polyps which construct flexible but tough skeletons, generally in the shape of branches or fans.
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