Meriania kirkbridei
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Meriania kirkbridei faces significant pressure from ongoing deforestation and habitat fragmentation within its restricted range in the Colombian Andes. Agricultural expansion, particularly cattle ranching and crop cultivation, continues to reduce the cloud forest ecosystems this species depends upon. The species' limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized habitat destruction and climate-induced shifts in montane forest zones.
Habitat
This species inhabits cloud forests and humid montane forests in the Colombian Andes, typically occurring at elevations between 1,800 and 2,800 meters. It grows in the understory and forest edges of these moist, high-altitude ecosystems where persistent cloud cover creates ideal conditions for epiphytic and terrestrial melastome species.
