Espeletia standleyana
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Espeletia standleyana faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and cattle grazing in Colombia's páramo ecosystems, where livestock trampling damages the slow-growing rosettes and prevents natural regeneration. Climate change poses an additional threat as rising temperatures force this high-altitude specialist toward increasingly restricted mountaintop refugia. Mining activities and infrastructure development further fragment the already limited páramo habitat where this endemic frailejón survives.
Habitat
This endemic frailejón inhabits high-altitude páramo ecosystems in the Colombian Andes, typically occurring between 3,200-4,200 meters elevation. It grows in the characteristic wet, cloud-shrouded grasslands and shrublands of the páramo, where it forms part of the distinctive rosette plant communities adapted to extreme temperature fluctuations and high UV radiation.
Other threatened species in ASTERACEAE
Threatened in Colombia
Frequently asked questions
Why is Espeletia standleyana classified as Vulnerable?
Where does Espeletia standleyana live?
What are the main threats to Espeletia standleyana?
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