Serranía De San Lucas
The Serranía de San Lucas is a forested massif in the Bolívar Department of northern Colombia that reaches heights of 2,600 m above sea level. It is part of the Magdalena–Urabá moist forests ecoregion, with a rainforest ecology that includes large monkey and bird populations.
It is a 'forest reserve' that has been recommended for protection, but has been opened to mining by the Colombian government, as the mountains have large deposits of gold, emeralds, nickel and mercury. AngloGold Ashanti has been exploring in the area since 2004, causing tensions with local small-scale miners.
The ELN guerrilla group enforced forest protection in the area in the early 2000s, apparently to protect local hydrology. The area is still subject to fighting between drug cartels, FARC, ELN, the Black Eagles and the Colombian army.
References
- ^ "Magdalena-Urabá moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ "The Serrania de San Lucas Other Area". World Database on Protected Areas. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ "Ecological holocaust: Serranía de San Lucas at risk". ProAves. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ Rohter, Larry (8 July 2000). "Earmarked for Colombian Rebels, a Region Asks to Be Left Alone". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ Maldonado, Juan Camilo (8 January 2008). "En la Serranía no brilla el oro". Elespectador (in Spanish). Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ McNeely, Jeffrey A. (2003). "Conserving forest biodiversity in times of violent conflict". Oryx. 37 (2): 142–152. doi:10.1017/s0030605303000334.
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