Wetlands of Bogotá



Wetlands of Bogotá, Colombia, are important areas of the capital city, and their development has become increasingly important for the area north of the Andes. A reserve for fauna and flora, the wetlands provide for the preservation and reproduction of a wide variety of mammals, reptiles and birds. These include more than 95 species of migratory birds, as well as many endemic plant species. The wetlands are part of the Bogotá River basin. The wetland complex has been designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2018.

Three types of wetland ecosystems have been identified in the district, differentiated by origin and position: plain wetlands are located in urban areas, while hillside and wasteland wetlands have been identified in the capital's rural areas. Many of the wetland ecosystems are disappearing because of advanced population growth within the city of Bogota. With the passage of time and the steady growth of the city, it is estimated that of the 150000 ha of wetlands that covered Bogotá in 1940, only 1500 ha remain today.

The flightless Colombian grebe, extinct in the 1980s, was restricted to the Wetlands.

Bogotá Water Company
The development plan "For the Bogotá We Want" and the Land Use Plan, Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial known by the acronym POT, has designated Empresa de Acueducto de Bogotá (EAB; Bogota Water Company) as the entity in charge of rescuing and restoring Bogota's wetland ecosystems, which are found in a wide state of deterioration.