SI_Appendix_DatasetS5.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, and in particular its ability to prevent and treat malaria. However, there have been historical changes of <i>Cinchona</i> distribution in the tropical Andes that remain undocumented. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, several explorers recorded <i>Cinchona</i> precise localities in present-day Colombia and Ecuador, countries which harbour about half of the species of the genus, including <i>C. officinalis</i>. We compare 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 m in average elevation for <i>Cinchona</i> and 792.5 m in elevational range for <i>C. officinalis</i> was found. These findings have implications for the conservation of economically important species and help us understand the impacts of the Anthropocene over time.