Sonson (Colombia) (AFP)

A previously unknown species of frailejon, a plant essential to preserving water and emblematic of the Andes, was discovered in Colombia, where biodiversity is the most important in the world after Brazil, scientists revealed on Friday.

This frailejon, with a thick trunk and which can reach 1.20 meters in height, was found in a paramo, wet moor of high altitude of the equatorial regions, in Sonson (department of Antioquia, north-west).

The discovery was announced as part of World Environment Day.

Scientists have given the Latin name of Espeletia Restricta to the new specimen of this millennial plant, whose fleshy and velvety leaves retain water, and which can withstand significant temperature variations in Andean ecosystems.

"We discovered (...) a species which was not described in the genus Espeletia" scientific name of frailejon, explained to AFP Fernando Alzate, biologist of the University of Antioquia, who directed the research .

Only 300 to 400 copies of this specimen remain, spread over half a hectare of Sonson's paramo, which shows "a serious conservation problem" of a plant threatened by climate change and tourism, according to this researcher.

Frailejons, of which there are at least fifty species, to which is added the new one with longer branches, only grow above 3,000 meters above sea level

They are endemic to certain paramos from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador, in the Andes, as well as Costa Rica.

Research from the National University of Colombia has shown that frailejons are vital for maintaining the flow of torrents and rivers.

They naturally retain water from the clouds and mist of the paramos, 60% of which are found in Colombia. They are "the most representative plants of the Colombian paramos and they have a fundamental role in their preservation", according to the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Biological Research.

The discovery could have taken place, according to Mr. Alzate, because the paramo of Sonson, previously a prohibited area because of the armed conflict, has become accessible again since the signing in 2016 of the peace agreement with the ex-guerrilla forces of the FARC , converted into a political party.

Colombia is hosting, in partnership with Germany, the 2020 edition of World Environment Day, celebrated each June 5, and this year focused on biodiversity.

The natural resources of this country, undermined by nearly six decades of internal war, are threatened by deforestation, illegal mining and the vast plantations of coca, the raw material of cocaine, according to the UN.

© 2020 AFP