How many species of wildlife fauna are used in Colombia?
There are reports of 553 fish species (mainly ornamental use), 429 bird species (the majority used as pets or ornamentally, including their parts), 116 mammal species (mainly for food purposes) and 61 reptile species (more than half of the species are used as pets). Moreover, there are records of gastropod and crustacean use, mainly for human consumption and as aquarium ornaments.
Ornamental Fishing
The General Diagnostic for the fishing and aquaculture subsector in Colombia of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (2008), emphasizes that ornamental fishing has become increasingly popular in the last years: In 2007, 26,587,740 units of fish were exported, generating an income of US$7,794,611 dollars for the country. Regarding their origin, 88% of the ornamental fish that is exported comes from the Orinoquia region (Puerto Inírida, Villavicencio, Puerto Gaitán, Arauca and Puerto Carreño), 10% from the Amazon (Leticia, La Pedrera) and 1.7% from the Pacific coast (MADR 2008).
Source: Política Nacional de Biodiversidad 2009-2019 En Revisión, p. 272.
Indigenous Population in the Different Habitats of Colombia
| Habitat | Population(inhabitants) |
| Lower zones with relicts of degraded jungle due to colonization process | 3,204 |
| Andean forest subject to colonization processes | 23,906 |
| Natural Savannahs of Orinoquia | 29,483 |
| Low Inter-Andean Valleys and the Caribbean plains, in transformed or very degraded areas | 52,906 |
| Homogenous Forests | 117,621 |
| Landscapes and special ecosystems of the Caribbean region | 164,926 |
| Landscapes transformed by the farming economy of the Andes. | 246,560 |
| TOTAL | 638,606 |
Source: IAvH, 2000. Protección del conocimiento tradicional: Elementos conceptuales para una propuesta de reglamentación - El caso de Colombia.
