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 some key next steps for promoting its implementation.

中文翻译：

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监测哥伦比亚高安第斯生态系统的生物多样性和生态系统服务：迈向综合战略

人们越来越一致认为，全球变化造成的生物多样性损失深刻影响生态系统服务和人类福祉。然而，生物多样性和生态系统过程通常是独立监测的，时空尺度不足以为决策提供信息。由于气候和土地利用变化在复杂的社会经济和政治背景下相互作用，包括新的人口动态和与和平相关的政策，哥伦比亚的高安第斯生态系统，从高安第斯森林和帕拉莫斯延伸到冰川冰盖，形成动态景观帕拉莫斯经济活动的流程和严格规定。此外，它们是全球生物多样性热点的一部分，提供关键的生态系统服务，包括大量的碳积累和水的调节以及为大量农村和城市人口提供服务。在哥伦比亚高山生态系统的环境监测方面有丰富的经验，包括解决生物多样性、碳储量、水文、冰川和土地利用动态的计划。然而，需要一个概念和制度框架来整合这些不同的举措。在这里，我们提出了一项建议，以促进对哥伦比亚高山生态系统中生物多样性和生态系统服务的综合监测，作为对巩固国家生态系统监测计划的贡献。我们根据与该地区监测专家的广泛协商过程，描述了用于设计这一综合战略的方法。然后，我们回顾了哥伦比亚高安第斯山脉的环境监测技术。基于积累的经验，我们提出了一个多尺度概念框架，用于分析从地方到国家尺度的变化驱动因素和响应变量，强调沿海拔、土地利用和生态系统恢复梯度进行监测的重要性。最后，我们描述了该战略的预期成果和可能的制度安排，以及促进其实施的一些关键后续步骤。