For the indigenous Kogi, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is more than the planet’s highest coastal range. It is the center of the universe, and its highest peak, the Pico Cristóbal Colón, is the heart of the world. But the Sierra is under threat. Rising as high as 18,700 feet (5,700 meters) above the Caribbean on Colombia’s northern coast, the isolated massif of tropical and alpine ecosystems has lost more than three-quarters of its forest cover despite being a national park. Leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries clear its dry woodlands to make room for coca cultivation. Ranchers burn its mountain plains, or páramos, to make way for cattle. The wealthy destroy its cloud forests to build vacation homes. An article published last... [Log in to read more]