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Cuadro de texto: The Municipality of Algeria is located to the southwest in the department of Cauca - Colombia, limiting with the following municipalities:to the north with El Tambo, to the south Balboa and the department of Nariño, to the east with Patía and to the west Guapi and Timbiquí. The municipality is conformed by 12 towns: Santa Teresa of Bolivia, Betania, Florida, Naranjal, La Belleza, El Sinaí, El Mango, San Juan de la Guadua, El Diviso, El Plateado, Santa Clara y La Emboscada, with a total of 86 villages. The municipality has an extension of 706 squared kilometers, equivalent to 2,4% of the total territory of the department of the Cauca. It has an altitudinal gradient between 500 and the 3200 meters, which generates different climates and habitats and therefore a great biodiversity.

Cuadro de texto: Geographically the municipality of Algeria constitutes the high river basin of most important river of the Cauca Pacific, San Juan de Micay. This river basin limits the Western slope of the Western Cordillera, dividing the Pacific region and Patia valley and a Serrania composed of Cerros Guapi, Plateado and Pinche, forming a great depresión with climatic and ecological peculiarities (Becking, 1995). The potential area of conservation is located to the Northwest of the municipality denominated as Serrania del Pinche, that is part of the high river basin of San Juan de Micay river. With an aproxímate area of 230 square kilometers, 30,000 hectares are a potential area for conservation. Primary forests cover 90% of the river basin and the villages that have influence over this area are: La Belleza, Los Sanjuanes,

Cuadro de texto: For the Serrania del Pinche, 408 species of birds are reported, representing 252 genera and 47 families. The Tyrannidae family is the most diverse with 57 species followed by Thraupidae (53) and Trochilidae (41). The most representative genera were Tangara and Atlapetes with 12 and 7 species respectively (See table 1 and 2).

Serranía del Pinche

Explorations - The Hummingbird Conservancy

Cuadro de texto: The mountainous area of Pinche are composed by 496 species distributed in 246 genera and 104 families, between Pteridophytes, Briophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. The most diverse families were Lauraceae and Asteraceae with 33 and 28 species, respectively, and the families who displayed greater number of genera were Asteraceae (19) and Ericaceae (12). The genera with greater number of species were Ilex and Ocotea with 13 species each, Miconia (11), weinmannia (8), and Nectandra and Palicourea with 7 each. The mammals reported for the Serrania del Pinche are 116 species distributed in 12 orders, 24 families and 68 genera. The most diverse mammalian order is Chiroptera with 64 species, followed by Carnivora and Rodentia with 13 and 17 species, respectively. As mentioned befote, the number species of birds are approximately 408 species, with 14 species in a threatened category: 7 are vulnerable (VU), 3 are endangered (EN) and endemic, 4 species are conisdered near threatened (NT) and of these 3 they are almost endemic. (Table 1).

Cuadro de texto: Due to its strategic geographic location, the Serrania del Pinche has a great diversity of ecosystems of important ecological value: sub Andean, Andean and high Andean forests, paramos and paramillos. Investigations of these areas have revealed a great diversity of species and high levels of endemisms. The primary Oak forests present in this area are the most extense of the Colombian southwest (Becking-1995) and also the largest on the western Cordillera. There is dire need for a conservation area to be establsihed in this area. The Nacional Parks, Cauca Regional Corporation and the Hummingbird Conservancy are establsihing conservation initiatives for the Serrania del Pinche with the purpose of guaranteeing its future.

Cuadro de texto: In recent years, these ecosystems have undergone progressive deterioration due to the expansion of the agricultura frontier, the planting of illigal crops and the inadequate handling of grounds. This is reflected in the decrease of the hydric resources, lost of forest cover, low productivity and diminishing in the quality of life of the community. The future of the Serrania del Pinche is uncertain until a management plan is established for protection and conservation of this area.

TABLE 1.

TABLE 2.

FAMILY	SPECIES	ENDANGERED CATEGORY
ACCIPITRIDAE	Oroaetus isidori	Vu A2c
CRACIDAE	Penelope ortoni	VuC1+2 (i) ENDEMIC
FORMICARIIDAE	Thamnomanes (Dysithamnus) occidentalis	VU lab (i,ii,iii,v)
FRINGILLIDAE	Oreothraupis arremonops	VU B2ab (ii,iii,v)
THRAUPIDAE	Chlorochrysa nitidissima	Vu B2ab (ii,iii)
COTINGIDAE	Cephalopterus penduliger	Vu A4c; C1+2(i) ALMOST ENDEMIC
PSITTACIDAE	Leptosittaca branickii	VU A2cd + 4cd; C2a(i)
FORMICARIIDAE	Grallaria gigantea	B2ab (ii,iii,iv)
CRACIDAE	Penelope perspicax	B2ab ( ii,iii,v); C2a(i) Vu A2cd ENDEMIC
COEREBIDAE	Diglossa gloriosissima	B2ab ( ii,iii,iv) ENDEMIC
PHASIANIDAE	Odontophorus hyperhythrus	NT B1 + 2a,b,c,d,e; C2a ENDEMIC
RHYNOCRYPTIDAE	Chloropipo flavicapilla	Nt A3c ALMOST ENDEMIC
RAMPHASTIDAE	Andigena nigrirostris occidentalis	NT A3c
FURNARIIDAE	Margarornis stellatus	NT A2c + 3c ALMOST ENDEMIC

Species	Inferior Limit	Upper Limit	Distribution and Satus	Habitat
Aglaiocercus coelestis	300	2100	ALMOST ENDEMIC	MC
Coeligena wilsoni			ALMOST ENDEMIC	BmH, bB.
Eriocnemis mosquera	1200	3600	ALMOST ENDEMIC	bB, BA.
Heliodoxa imperatrix	400	1800	ALMOST ENDEMIC	bmH,, bB.
Hylocharis grayi	0	2600	ALMOST ENDEMIC	BH, bB, BS, Bsec.
Philodice mitchellii	0	1900	ALMOST ENDEMIC	BH, BmH, bB, Ta.
Coeligena torquata	1500	3000	C	BH, BmH, bB.
Coeligena coeligena	1500	2600* 3000 FC	MC, C	BH, BmH, bB.
Heliangelus exortis	1500	3400	MC, L	bB, BH, BmH.
Adelomyia melanogenys	1000	2500* 3000 FC	C	BH, bB.
Dorífera ludoviciae	1400	2700* 3000 FC	MC	Bh, BmH, bB.
Eriocnemis isabellae sp. nov.	2800	3200	ENDEMIC, EN.	BH, bB.
Aglaiocercus kingi	1400	3000	C	bB, Bh, BmH.
Ocreatus underwoodii	1500	2500	MC	BH, BmH, bB, Bsec.
Acestrura mulsant	1500	2800
Chalcostigma herrani	2700	3600	PC, L	bB.
Ramphomicron microrhynchum	1700	3400	A, Pn.	bB, Bh, Ta.
Colibri coruscans	1300	3600	C	bB, Ta
Florisuga mellivora	0	1600*	MC	bB, Bh, BmH, Ta.
Amazilia tzacatl	0	1800	C	BS, BH, bB.
Boisseneaua flavescens	1400	2800* 3000 FC	MC	BH, BmH.
Phaethornis syrmatophorus	800	2400 * 3000 FC	C	BH, BmH
Haplophaedia aureliae	1500	3100	MC	BH, BmH, bB.
Metallura tyrianthina	1700	3600	Ab	bB, Bh, BA,

Category:

EN: Endangered

VU: Vulnerable

NT: Near Threatened

Habitats according to Hilty 1996 :

BmH: Wet forest

BH: Humid forest

BS: Dry Forest

Mesp: Scrubby Areas

bB: Forest border

Bgal: Gallery Forest

BA: Elfin Forest

Bsec: Secondary forest

Ta: Clearings

P: Paramo

S: Savanna

Pant: Swamp

Cult: Cultivated Areas

According to Hilty and Brown, 1996:

C: Common

MC: Fairly common

PC: Uncommon

R: Rare

Pco: Unkonown

A: Widely Distributed

Pn: Few Numbers

Ab: Abundant

L: local