Serranía de San Lucas
Forested mountains in Colombia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Serranía de San Lucas is a forested massif in the Bolívar Department of northern Colombia that reaches heights of 2,600 m above sea level. It is part of the Magdalena–Urabá moist forests ecoregion,[1] with a rainforest ecology that includes large monkey and bird populations.
Colombia| Serranía del San Lucas | |
|---|---|
| |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,700 m (8,900 ft) |
| Coordinates | 7°40′00″N 74°12′00″W |
| Dimensions | |
| Area | 16,000 km2 (6,200 mi2) |
| Geography | |
  Serranía del San Lucas Location within Colombia | |
Country | Colombia |
Department | Antioquia and Bolivar |
It is a 'forest reserve' that has been recommended for protection,[2] but has been opened to mining by the Colombian government,[3] as the mountains have large deposits of gold, emeralds, nickel and mercury.[4] AngloGold Ashanti has been exploring in the area since 2004, causing tensions with local small-scale miners.[5]
The ELN guerrilla group enforced forest protection in the area in the early 2000s, apparently to protect local hydrology.[6] The area is still subject to fighting between drug cartels, FARC, ELN, the Black Eagles and the Colombian army.[5]