Preliminary observations on cultivation in páramo areas of Colombia

Abstract

The historical displacements and parallel mestization of indigenous groups, social pressure on the land and the introduction of new agricultural techniques, constitute the three preconditions for the progressive occupation and advance of cultivation in the high páramo zones in Colombia.

This historical process and the different combinations of the aforementioned factors can explain, to a large extent, the variety of the current use of these lands and the consequent environmental impact that compromises the future of the valuable paramo ecosystems, one of the main sources and reserves of drinking water for the country.