SI_Appendix_DatasetS2.xlsx from Changes of cinchona distribution over the past two centuries in the northern Andes

The <i>Cinchona</i> genus is important for humanity, due to its ethnobotanical properties, particularly its ability to prevent and treat malaria. However, historical changes of <i>Cinchona</i> distribution in the tropical Andes remain undocumented. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, several explorers precisely recorded <i>Cinchona</i> localities in present-day Colombia and Ecuador, countries which harbour about half of the species of the genus, including <i>C. officinalis</i>. We compared historical and twentieth century records to evaluate whether elevational ranges, mean elevation and latitude varied between the two periods. A large expansion of 662.5/948.5 m in the average and elevational range for <i>C. officinalis</i> and 792.5 for <i>Cinchona</i> was obtained. These findings have implications for the conservation of economically important species and to understand the impacts of the Anthropocene over time.