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There is growing consensus that biodiversity losses resulting from global change profoundly affects ecosystem services and human welfare. However, biodiversity and ecosystem processes are commonly monitored independently and on spatiotemporal scales inadequate to inform decision-making. The high Andean ecosystems of Colombia, extending from high Andean forests and páramos to glacier ice caps, form dynamic landscapes because of the interaction of climate and land use change in a complex socioeconomic and political context, including new demographic dynamics and policies associated with the peace process and strict regulations for economic activities in the páramos. Moreover, they are part of a global biodiversity hotspot and provide key ecosystem services, including substantial carbon accumulation and water regulation and provision for large rural and urban populations. There is substantial experience in environmental monitoring of Colombia's high mountain ecosystems, including programs addressing biodiversity, carbon stocks, hydrology, glaciers, and land use dynamics. However, a conceptual and institutional framework for integrating these diverse initiatives is required. Here, we present a proposal to promote integrated monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services in high mountain ecosystems in Colombia as a contribution to consolidating a national ecosystem monitoring program. We describe the methodology used to design this integrated strategy based on an extensive process of consultation with monitoring experts in the region. Then, we review the state of the art of environmental monitoring in the Colombian High Andes. Based on the experience accumulated, we propose a multiscale conceptual framework for analyzing drivers of change and response variables from the local to the national scale, emphasizing the importance of monitoring along altitudinal, land use, and ecosystem restoration gradients. Finally, we describe the expected outcomes and possible institutional arrangements for the strategy, as well as ...

Publicado en: Mountain Research and Development Vol. 25 Nº 3 Aug 2005. Pp 200–205 ; The success of participatory conservation projects depends greatly on the interest shown by the local population and on the strategies used to incorporate all stakeholders from the initial stages. In the highly diverse region of the tropical Andean páramos, threats to ecosystem integrity come mainly from agriculture and cattle grazing. Approaches to biodiversity conservation have often been based on top-down regulations imposed by government agencies. The implementation of an alternative approach, incorporating local communities in the design of action plans for conservation, was the central objective during the design phase of the Andean Páramo Project. These plans will be executed in a network of key pilot sites along the South American páramos. Here we report on experience at the two Venezuelan sites, where the design process involved a series of participatory workshops. The multidisciplinary nature of the facilitation team was essential in addressing the complex links between biodiversity conservation, land use strategies, and human welfare. The success of the approach was associated with the local population's great interest in and detailed knowledge of the ecosystem, as well as with our emphasis on empowerment through incorporating local knowledge and views as the basis for planning. ; 200–205 ; llambi@ula.ve ; julia@ula.ve ; norypc@ula.ve ; maximina@ula.ve