Thomas van der Hammen Natural Reserve

The Thomas van der Hammen Natural Reserve or Thomas van der Hammen Forest Reserve is an area of the Bogotá savanna that is under environmental protection. The natural reserve was declared as such in year 2000 by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable development.[1] It takes its name from the Dutch-Colombian geologist Thomas van der Hammen who devoted his life to the research of the region. The surface area of the protected reserve is approximately 1,395 hectares (3,450 acres) and it is located in the north of Bogotá.

Thomas van der Hammen Natural Reserve
Thomas van der Hammen Forest Reserve
Outline Van der Hammen Reserve in red
Van der Hammen Reserve
Position of Thomas van der Hammen Reserve in Bogotá
Van der Hammen Reserve
Van der Hammen Reserve (Colombia)
LocationSuba and Usaquén
Bogotá,  Colombia
Nearest townChía, Cota
Coordinates4°46′26″N 74°05′40″W
Area1,395 ha (5.39 sq mi)
Elevation2,552 metres (8,373 ft)
Established2000
Named forThomas van der Hammen

The protection area has the purpose of creating an urban forest that connects the Bogotá River and the Eastern Hills of Bogotá, to preserve the underground water sources, improve the quality of the air and protect the diversity and activities of the animal species that exist there.[2][3]

Mayor of Bogotá Enrique Peñalosa has proposed construction in the Reserve that could host 1.5 million people.[4]

Flora and fauna
Main article: Biodiversity of Colombia

The Thomas van der Hammen Natural Reserve is a rich natural area important for the biodiversity of the Bogotá savanna. Several endemic species have been registered, and two newly described species of butterflies were discovered in the Reserve.[5]

Birds

In the area of the reserve 187 species of birds have been registered, some of which are endangered.[6][7] Two species, registered in the past; Cistothorus apolinari and Polystictus pectoralis have not been reported recently.[8]

Name Species Image
Bogotá rail Rallus semiplumbeus
bronze-tailed thornbill Chalcostigma heteropogon
rufous-browed conebill Conirostrum rufum
spot-flanked gallinule Gallinula melanops
cerulean warbler Setophaga cerulea
olive-sided flycatcher Contopus cooperi
snowy egret Egretta thula
noble snipe Gallinago nobilis
blue-throated starfrontlet Coeligena helianthea
coppery-bellied puffleg Eriocnemis cupreoventris
subtropical doradito Pseudocolopteryx acutipennis
pale-bellied tapaculo Scytalopus griseicollis
silvery-throated spinetail Synallaxis subpudica

Mammals

Registered mammals are among others guinea pigs, Andean white-eared opossum (Didelphis pernigra),[5] tigrillo (Leopardus tigrinus),[9] long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata),[10] and eleven species of bats.[11]

Bats
Name Species Image
big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus
hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus
Mexican free-tailed bat Tadarida brasiliensis
Seba's short-tailed bat Carollia perspicillata
Geoffroy's tailless bat Anoura geoffroyi
Peale's free-tailed bat Nyctinomops aurispinosus
Wagner's bonneted bat Eumops glaucinus
small big-eared brown bat Histiotus montanus
black myotis Myotis nigricans
Bogotá yellow-shouldered bat Sturnira bogotensis
highland yellow-shouldered bat Sturnira ludovici

Butterflies

With 350 endemic species, Colombia occupies the first position worldwide in diversity of butterflies and after Peru, the second place in total number of registered butterfly species (3274).[12] The Thomas van der Hammen Natural Reserve contains 23 (new studies report more than 26 with two new species in the genus Satyrinae discovered) species of butterflies.[5][13] Other species of butterflies have been registered:[14]

Name Species Image
American painted lady Vanessa virginiensis
dimera sulphur Colias dimera
Enyo satyr Corades enyo
Julia butterfly Dryas iulia
Hemiargus hanno
Altopedaliodes cocytia
Lasiophila circe circe
Panyapedaliodes drymaea
Pedaliodes phaea
Actinote chea
Catasticta semiramis semiramis
Corades medeba
Leptophobia eleone eleone
Manerebia indirena
Pedaliodes fuscata
Pedaliodes ochrotaenia
Pedaliodes phoenissa
Pedaliodes polla
Pedaliodes prytanis
  • Map of the extent in 2016
  • La Conejera wetland, part of the reserve

See also

References
  1. ¿A quién le sirve la CAR?
  2. Por qué la reserva Thomas Van Der Hammen es importante para Bogotá
  3. "Inicia la construcción del bosque más grande de Latinoamérica en la Reserva Thomas Van Der Hammen". 2015. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  4. (in Spanish) La franja que pone a Peñalosa a defender su primer megaproyecto - El Tiempo
  5. (in Spanish) Los animales de la reserva Thomas van der Hammen
  6. (in Spanish) Las aves de la Reserva Van der Hammen…¡déjenlas volar y vivir en paz!
  7. Cortés, 2016, p.1-3
  8. (in Spanish) Estas aves desaparecerían si Peñalosa urbaniza la reserva Thomas Van der Hammen
  9. (in Spanish) La Reserva Van der Hammen como oportunidad para el tigrillo lanudo
  10. (in Spanish) Comadreja reportada en la Reserva Van der Hammen
  11. Sánchez, 2011, p.72
  12. (in Spanish) Nuevas especies de mariposas en borde norte de Bogotá
  13. (in Spanish) Las mariposas que frenarían el plan de Peñalosa en van der Hammen
  14. Calderón & Gualtero, 2014, p.49

Bibliography
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