A tree found nowhere else on Earth does not vanish from the only place it has ever grown
The Ceiba Barrigona, unique to Chicamocha Canyon, faces extinction due to deforestation, agricultural expansion, and climate change affecting Colombia's threatened tropical dry forest. Scientists treat seedlings with beneficial soil microorganisms to improve nutrient absorption, water retention, and drought resistance—addressing low germination rates that limit conservation efforts.
- Ceiba Barrigona is endemic to Chicamocha Canyon, found nowhere else on Earth
- Researchers treat seedlings with native soil microorganisms to improve germination and drought resistance
- Project led by Universidad de Santander in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Federico Restrepo Foundation, and German climate funding
- Low germination rates and long nursery periods have limited conservation effectiveness
Researchers at Universidad de Santander are using native soil microorganisms to strengthen the growth and survival of the endangered Ceiba Barrigona tree in Colombia's Chicamocha Canyon, aiming to restore tropical dry forest ecosystems.
In the Chicamocha Canyon, where the tropical dry forest clings to existence against decades of clearing and agricultural pressure, a tree unique to this landscape faces an uncertain future. The Ceiba Barrigona grows nowhere else on Earth. It anchors the biodiversity of one of Colombia's most fragile ecosystems, yet deforestation, shifting land use, and the accelerating effects of climate change have left the species endangered, its survival no longer guaranteed by the forest alone.
Researchers at Universidad de Santander have begun a deliberate intervention. They are treating seedlings of the Ceiba Barrigona with naturally occurring soil microorganisms—bacteria and fungi that live in the earth where the tree has always grown. The logic is straightforward but elegant: these microbes already perform essential work in the forest. They help plants absorb nutrients from poor soil. They improve water retention during dry spells. They help roots adapt to the harsh conditions of a tropical dry forest. By isolating and cultivating these organisms, then applying them to seedlings in nurseries and in the field, the scientists believe they can give the young trees a better chance of survival.
The project is led by professors Beatriz Elena Guerra Sierra and Álvaro José Hernández Tasco from UDES's Industrial Microbiology program, working alongside students and partners including the Federico Restrepo Foundation, Santo Tomás University, and The Nature Conservancy. The work operates under the SolNatura framework, a German-funded climate initiative implemented by GIZ Colombia, The Nature Conservancy, and Fondo Acción. The Colombian environmental authority has granted the necessary permits for the research.
The problem the scientists are solving is concrete. The Ceiba Barrigona germinates poorly. Young plants require long periods in nurseries before they are ready for the field, which slows conservation efforts and limits how many trees can be restored. By enhancing seedling vigor through microbial treatment, researchers hope to accelerate both germination and establishment, making restoration programs more effective and scalable.
But the work extends beyond the laboratory. In May, the team held a community gathering in the village of Llanadas, in Los Santos municipality, to explain the science and its purpose to local residents. They discussed why the Ceiba Barrigona matters ecologically, why it is found nowhere else, and how soil microorganisms support plant health and forest recovery. The Federico Restrepo Foundation distributed seedlings to participants—a tangible connection between scientific knowledge and local stewardship.
This approach reflects a deliberate philosophy: restoration rooted in both rigorous science and territorial connection. The project aligns with existing local initiatives, particularly the "Camino de la Ceiba" program, which works to deepen social and environmental valuation of the species within the communities that share its habitat. The goal is not merely to save one tree in one canyon, but to develop restoration techniques that can be adapted and replicated across Colombian territories facing similar ecological collapse.
The tropical dry forest of the Chicamocha Canyon remains under pressure. But for the first time, the Ceiba Barrigona has allies equipped with both microscopes and community trust, working to ensure that a tree found nowhere else on Earth does not vanish from the only place it has ever grown.
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The initiative seeks to evaluate how natural soil microorganisms can strengthen the vigor, growth, and establishment of Ceiba Barrigona seedlings in both nursery and field conditions— Universidad de Santander
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Why focus on soil microbes rather than, say, simply protecting the remaining trees and letting natural regeneration happen?
Because natural regeneration is failing. The forest is too fragmented, the conditions too harsh. A seedling that germinates in a nursery has almost no chance in the field without help. These microbes are not artificial—they already live in the soil. We are just amplifying what the forest itself does, but doing it deliberately, at scale.
What makes the Ceiba Barrigona so ecologically important that it justifies this level of intervention?
It is endemic to this canyon. It exists nowhere else. That alone makes it irreplaceable. But it also plays a structural role in the dry forest—it provides food, shelter, and shade for other species. Lose it, and you lose a keystone.
The germination rates are low. Is that a genetic problem, or is it the environment?
Both. The seeds are adapted to a specific set of conditions that no longer exist reliably. The microbes help the seedling cope with what the environment has become—drier, more nutrient-poor. It is adaptation through partnership.
You mentioned the community gathering. How did people respond?
They understood immediately. These are people who live with the forest. They know what has been lost. When you show them that science can help, and that their participation matters, they become part of the solution rather than observers of decline.
What happens if this works? What is the next step?
We scale it. We train local nurseries. We develop protocols that other regions can use. The Chicamocha Canyon is not the only place where the tropical dry forest is dying. If we can make this replicable, the technique becomes a tool for conservation across the country.