FIRST ASSESSMENT OF THE HERPETOFAUNA OF MUTATÁ, URABÁ SUBREGION, COLOMBIA: A POST-CONFLICT DIVERSITY STUDY

The Urabá subregion in northwest Colombia boasts exceptional biological diversity, primarily attributable to its location within the Chocó-Darién ecoregion. However, efforts to characterize this diversity have been hindered by the Colombian armed conflict, which heavily impacted the region. With the signing of peace accords in 2016, improved security has increased agroindustry and human settlements, exacerbating forest fragmentation. This promoted accessibility underscores the urgency of characterizing the composition of the communities in order to subsequently generate conservation policites. As a first step to achieve this goal, our study aimed to identify herpetofauna species in forest fragments in the municipality of Mutatá, Urabá. Here, we report 24 amphibian and 30 reptile species across a sampling effort of 345 person-hours conducted at that site. Despite our efforts, the species accumulation curve indicated that further sampling is necessary to assess species richness more accurately. Urgent environmental action is imperative for conserving Urabá’s herpetofauna, particularly in post-conflict regions experiencing rapid shifts in land use. Agility in conservation efforts is crucial to mitigate further biodiversity loss, especially in these vulnerable areas.