The Tropical Andes are the home to many diverse communities, from remote farming villages to large urban centres and capitals, such as Merida, Bogotá, Quito, Cusco and La Paz. In total, about 60 million people live between 1,000 to 4,500 meters. The climate in the region is tropical, with low seasonal variation in temperatures. However, there is strong seasonality of precipitation, in particular in the Peruvian Andes. In Colombia and Venezuela, the Andes are generally more humid, while the Altiplano and the Bolivian Andes are drier.
The Tropical Andes will experience some of the most drastic climate changes in South America. By the end of this century, the coldest years in the Tropical Andes mountains will be warmer than the warmest years to which humans and other species have adapted so far. Different climate models all indicate warming everywhere, but there is much more uncertainty when it comes to projections of precipitation and seasonality. However, the general trend across the region is that precipitation will increase in the already wet northwest and decrease in the drier Altiplano area and northeast. The rainy season in the Altiplano area is also becoming more concentrated, and the dry season longer.

Publication date
Type of publication
Document
Objective
Adaptation
Approach
Community based
Collection
Eldis
CTCN Keyword Matches
Community based
Colombia
Accommodation
Ecosystems and biodiversity
Climate change monitoring
South America
Adaptation