Ecosystem Disruption in Colombia’s Páramo: Assessing Anthropogenic Change through a DPSIR Framework

Abstract

The Páramo ecosystem is one of the most distinctive high-Andean ecosystems in the world, hosting extraordinary biodiversity and playing a critical role in the provision of ecosystem services. Notably, nearly half of the global extent of páramos lies within Colombia, making them essential not only for national sustainability but also for global climate regulation. These ecosystems sustain millions of people through water provision, regulate regional hydrology, and act as carbon sinks, while supporting exceptionally high levels of endemism. However, they are increasingly threatened by the dual forces of climate change and human activity, including agriculture, mining, and infrastructure development. Understanding the drivers of change and their cascading consequences is therefore essential for informed conservation and governance.

This study applies the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to examine the complex socio-ecological dynamics affecting Colombian páramos. The framework allows a structured assessment of how socio-economic and climatic drivers translate into pressures such as land-use conversion to mining and agriculture, and hydrological disruption, which in turn alter the ecological state of these fragile landscapes. Evidence shows that although 86% of Colombia’s páramos still retain natural vegetation, their integrity is increasingly compromised by habitat fragmentation, soil degradation, and water imbalance. Projections under climate change scenarios further indicate upslope displacement of species and ecosystems, leading to habitat compression and heightened risks of biodiversity loss. By mid-century, up to half of the páramo extent in key areas such as Chingaza National Park could become climatically unsuitable, with severe implications for water security and carbon storage.

The impacts of these changes extend beyond ecological integrity to human well-being, given that páramos supply about 70% of Colombia’s freshwater and underpin hydroelectric generation, agriculture, and urban consumption. Loss of regulating services also raises the risk of conflicts over land and water use, particularly in vulnerable rural communities. At the same time, endemic keystone taxa such as Espeletia species face existential threats, being already confined to the highest elevations with not much further habitat to colonise.

Responses have emerged at multiple levels. Legal frameworks (e.g. Law 99/1993 and Law 1930/2018) recognise páramos as strategic ecosystems, while community-led land-use planning, payment for ecosystem services schemes, and ecological restoration initiatives offer adaptive approaches. Yet these measures are unevenly enforced and often clash with local livelihood strategies. This analysis highlights the urgent need for integrated, participatory governance that bridges ecological science with socio-cultural realities. Only through such approaches can the resilience of páramo ecosystems be safeguarded against the accelerating anthropogenic and climatic pressures pointed out here.