FIRST ASSESSMENT OF THE HERPETOFAUNA OF MUTATÁ, URABÁ SUBREGION, COLOMBIA: A POST-CONFLICT DIVERSITY STUDY

Felipe Triana; Jeisson Gómez; Fabián Bonilla; Marcela Serna; Mahmood Sasa

doi:10.22201/fc.25942158e.2025.1.1143

Authors

Felipe Triana Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Universidad de Costa Rica
Jeisson Gómez Grupo de Investigación en Toxinología, Alternativas Terapéuticas y Alimentarias, Universidad de Antioquia, 050010, Medellín, Colombia
Fabián Bonilla Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060, San José, Costa Rica.
Marcela Serna Grupo de Investigación en Temas Agroambientales INTEGRA, Facultad de Ingeniería, Tecnológico de Antioquia, 050041, Medellín, Colombia.
Mahmood Sasa Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060, San José, Costa Rica. y Museo de Zoología, Centro de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical (CIBET), Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060, San José, Costa Rica.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22201/fc.25942158e.2025.1.1143

Keywords:

Colombian armed conflict, species accumulation curve, Amphibians, Chocó-Darién, reptiles

Abstract

The Urabá subregion in northwest Colombia boasts exceptional biological diversity, primarily attributable to its location within the Chocó-Darién ecoregion. However, efforts to characterize this diversity have been hindered by the Colombian armed conflict, which heavily impacted the region. With the signing of peace accords in 2016, improved security has increased agroindustry and human settlements, exacerbating forest fragmentation. This promoted accessibility underscores the urgency of characterizing the composition of the communities in order to subsequently generate conservation policites. As a first step to achieve this goal, our study aimed to identify herpetofauna species in forest fragments in the municipality of Mutatá, Urabá. Here, we report 24 amphibian and 30 reptile species across a sampling effort of 345 person-hours conducted at that site. Despite our efforts, the species accumulation curve indicated that further sampling is necessary to assess species richness more accurately. Urgent environmental action is imperative for conserving Urabá’s herpetofauna, particularly in post-conflict regions experiencing rapid shifts in land use. Agility in conservation efforts is crucial to mitigate further biodiversity loss, especially in these vulnerable areas.

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