The State of Biological Research in Forest Canopies: Colombia as a Case Study for Megadiverse Tropical Countries

Abstract

Forests are a critical interface between Earth's terrestrial biomass and the atmosphere that play a pivotal role in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision. Despite their importance, the study of forest canopies has been hindered by accessibility challenges. Because canopy biodiversity and ecology are inadequately sampled from the ground, the historic dependence on ground-based data limits our understanding of forest biology at local and regional scales, which in turn can obstruct or challenge the setting of conservation priorities. This is particularly true for tropical countries with the highest levels of forest biodiversity and degradation. We evaluate the published research outputs from canopy research in Colombia, a megadiverse tropical country that faces escalating deforestation rates, which may serve as a model for tropical countries with high levels of biodiversity and mounting conservation challenges. Through a comprehensive literature review spanning 1974–2022, we assessed the taxonomic groups, research objectives, methodological approaches, and geographical distribution of canopy research. Our findings reveal that canopy research in Colombia is skewed in its taxonomic focus towards vascular plants and its geographic coverage is greatest in the Andes. Moreover, most studies treated the canopy as a covariate rather than the primary research objective, thereby limiting possible inferences into canopy biodiversity. Our results offer a call to action to increase the number of canopy studies in Colombia, emphasising the need for increased geographic representation, capacity-building, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the involvement of non-academic stakeholders. As the Global South faces critical conservation challenges, understanding canopy biodiversity and processes will be essential for informed conservation and sustainable forest management strategies in biologically diverse nations. We conclude by proposing four lessons from Colombia to advance canopy research in megadiverse tropical countries.