Páramo de Sumapaz

The Páramo de Sumapaz is a biodiverse grassland-peatland ecosystem at high altitude in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense mountain range. The Páramo experiences low intensity rainfall and frequent fog, which the vegetation (including particularly representative species, sphagnum moss, tussock grass, and freilajones) captures and stores (Correa et al., 2020).

Soil moisture is also kept high by the hydraulic connectivity of the soil and acts as a key regulator of surface runoff production (Harden, 2006). At the foot of the hillslopes and the bottom of valleys, organic rich soils and cushion plants maintain saturated conditions (Buytaert et al., 2005). On hillslopes, freely draining soils and tussock grass conduce lateral flow and connectivity with the channel network, as well as both deep soil horizons and shallow groundwater which drain via riparian areas into streams (Correa et al., 2017).

Densely populated Bogotá depends on the shallow subsurface and surface water of the Páramo as a main source for human consumption, industrial uses and hydropower generation, using the high altitude of the Páramo and gravity to work as a ‘natural water tower’ (Buytaert & Beven, 2011). The land is used for livelihood, wellbeing, and holds immense spiritual significance (Correa et al., 2020), however intensive livestock grazing, cultivation and forest plantations including anthropic introduction of fire, have negatively affected the water availability and quality, and biodiversity (Poulenard et al., 2002). These factors have increased soil density and reduced soil porosity, resulting in increased evaporation, reduced hydrological regulation capacity and subsequent reduced yield (Díaz & Paz, 2002). The functional mechanisms of the Páramo are not fully understood and they remain distinctly under researched, leading to sustainability interventions which have been ineffective or detrimental. Citizen science and participatory monitoring has been found to be an effective tool for generating locally relevant knowledge on the function, use, degradation and management of the Páramo (Condensan, 2012), as well as remote sensing (Correa et al., 2020).

CONNECTIONS

Framing the Páramo through Latour’s Actor–Network Theory reveals its role within a network of non-human actors that intertwines social, political, and ecological dimensions (Latour,1996). Ecologically, the Páramo functions as a vital hydrological system, capturing mist at high elevations in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense mountain range bordering Bogotá, transforming it into water that feeds the downstream Quebrada Limas River (Baruffol,2020). This process establishes a chain of interconnections that extend beyond ecology into the social and political sphere. The water originating from the Páramo becomes a site of contention, as industrial actors, such as mining and waste management operations, seek to exploit these natural resources under regulatory frameworks, while communities in Bogotá depend on the same waters for sustenance. Thus, the Páramo operates not merely as an ecological entity but as a dynamic network that transcends its physical boundaries, shaping the political and social landscapes it touches.

The Páramo also extends into the spiritual and cultural sphere, where it is regarded as a sacred landscape that sustains both ecological and social life. Within many Andean communities, the Páramo is conceived as a living entity imbued with ancestral and spiritual significance, symbolising balance, renewal, and the interdependence between humans and nature (Borawska-Melnyk, 2025). Its mist and waters are often perceived as gifts from the mountains, reinforcing communal rituals, local cosmologies, and moral responsibilities toward environmental stewardship (Ulloa, 2017). In this sense, the Páramo’s influence transcends its ecological function, becoming a sacred social actor that shapes collective identity, ethical practice, and the cultural continuity of those who inhabit its landscapes.

Bibliography

Baruffol, M. (2020) Andean ‘water sponges’: The role of plants in water supply. Kew. 22 March. Available at: https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/paramos-andean-water-sponges (Accessed: 20 November 2025).

Borawska-Melnyk, A. (2025) ‘Páramo, or water factories: a botanical phenomenon in the Andes’, Wod ne Sprawy. Available at:https://wodnesprawy.pl/en/paramo-or-water-factories-in-the-andes/ (Accessed: 20 November 2025).

Latour, B. (1996) ‘On actor-network theory: a few clarifications’, Soziale Welt, 47(4), pp. 369–381. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40878163 (Accessed: 20 November 2025).

Ulloa, A. (2017) ‘Perspectives of environmental justice from Indigenous peoples of Latin America: a relational Indigenous environmental justice’, Environmental Justice, 10(6), pp. 175–180. doi: 10.1089/env.2017.0017. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320092634_Ulloa-A-_2017-Perspectives_of_Environmental_Justice_from_Indigenous_Peoples_of_Latin_America_A_Relational_Indigenous_Environmental_Justice (Accessed: 20 November 2025).

Buytaert, W., & Beven, K. (2011). Models as multiple working hypotheses: Hydrological simulation of tropical alpine wetlands. Hydrological Processes, 25(11), 1784–1799. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7936 (Accessed 12 January 2026).

Buytaert, W., Wyseure, G., De Bièvre, B., & Deckers, J. (2005). The effect of land-use changes on the hydrological behaviour of Histic andosols in South Ecuador. Hydrological Processes, 19(20), 3985–3997. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.5867 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\
Correa, A., Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Birkel, C., Ochoa-Sanchez, A., Zogheib, C., Tovar, C., Buytaert ,W. (2020) 'A concerted research effort to advance the hydrological understanding of tropical páramos', Hydrological Processes, 34(24), pp. 4609-4626. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13904 (Accessed 12 January 2026).

Correa, A., Windhorst, D., Tetzlaff, D., Crespo, P., Célleri, R., Feyen, J., & Breuer, L. (2017). Temporal dynamics in dominant runoff sources and flow paths in the Andean páramo. Water Resources Research, 53(7), 5998–6017. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR020187 (Accessed 12 January 2026).

Díaz, E., & Paz, L. (2002). Evaluación del régimen de humedad del suelo bajo diferentes usos, en los páramos Las Ánimas (Municipio de Silvia) y Piedra de León (Municipio de Sotará), departamento del Cauca., Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia.

Harden, C. P. (2006). Human impacts on headwater fluvial systems in the northern and Central Andes. Geomorphology, 79(3), 249–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.06.021 (Accessed 12 January 2026).

Poulenard, J., Podwojewski, P., Janeau, J.-L., & Collinet, J. (2001). Runoff and soil erosion under rainfall simulation of Andisols from the Ecuadorian páramo: Effect of tillage and burning. Catena, 45(3), 185–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(01)00148-5 (Accessed 12 January 2026).

https://condesan.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Libro2.pdf - p113 buenas practicas para la gestion de los paramos