Expansion of Atuncela Protected Area in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca

We celebrate the expansion of the Atuncela Regional District of Integrated Management which occurred May 27th, 2024, in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca. Atuncela was expanded by 3,262 acres (1,320 hectares) of shrubland transitioning to humid tropical forest.

Atuncela’s original 2,506 acres (1,014 hectares) of dry shrubland first received protected status in 2007. Per Eliana Fierro-Calderón, International Conservation Project Officer for the American Bird Conservancy: “The expansion at Atuncela brings vital habitat across multiple ecosystems under protection, contributing to a brighter future for a number of threatened bird species like the endangered purple quail-dove and banded ground-cuckoo, and migratory birds like the Canada Warbler and Swainson’s Thrush.” 

The endangered Purple Quail-Dove population numbers fewer than 2,500 individuals and is endemic only to a thin strip of humid lowland and submontane forest from northwest Colombia to northwest Ecuador.

More than 130 bird species have been recorded in the newly expanded area, and Atuncela overall is home to no fewer than three endangered bird species, two critically endangered frog species, and several endangered tree species. 

Through the expansion of Atuncela, local communities are preparing to welcome ecotourists to experience a unique region of the tropical Andes, where endangered species now have enhanced protection and stability.

Acknowledgements: 

The expansion of the Regional District of Integrated Management was accomplished thanks to the Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca with the financial support of Conserva Aves, Andes Amazon Fund (via the Wyss Foundation and Art Into Acres), and Rainforest Trust.