Helping to Conserve the Amazon

Pictographs of cultures that lived in Chiribiquete, discovered and documented by Fundacion Puerto Rastrojos over the past 25 years. Please support us through donations, "shares" and "follows". Such a fabulous National Park that still requires efforts like the FPR to conserve and preserve the cultural heritage of the region.


I. THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON AND THE CREATION OF FUNDACION PUERTO RASTROJO (FPR).

The Colombian Amazon covers an area of 480.000 km2 (almost the size of France), of which 18.000 km2 correspond to the eastern slopes of the Andean mountain range, 8.000 km2 to ancient residual hills and the remaining 454.000 km2 to the Amazonian plains.

During the first half of the 20th century, several immigration waves occurred of populations from the Andean region and from the Eastern Plains leading to a transformation of natural forest cover. By 1980 the deforested area covered almost 15.000 km2 and the area of fragmented and secondary growth forest was estimated at 7.000 km2.

As a response to the expansion of colonization, in the south,  central,  and eastern zone of Amazonia, a group of researchers began to focus their efforts on the creation and consolidation of Indigenous “Resguardos” (Reservations) and Protected Areas as a strategy for the conservation of biodiversity within the area not yet affected by colonization.  In 1981, in response to the unregulated colonial expansion, the nonprofit NGO Fundación Puerto Rastrojo (FPR) was created .

 II. INITIATIVES DEVELOPED BY FPR AND MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS.

The initiatives developed by the FPR in the Amazon during the last 37 years are grouped into four ten-year phases.

Indigenous use and management of the forest and conservation of threatened fauna (1981 - 1991)

Use of the forest by indigenous communities.

Management and conservation of turtle and fish populations.

Indigenous participation in the development of the Amazon.

Participation in the Consolidation of the Amazon Program.

Biodiversity conservation and long-term ecological studies in Chiribiquete National Park (1992-2002)

Strategy for the conservation of biodiversity in the Colombian Amazon.

Field work and established the Puerto Abeja Field Station

During these ten years, the FPR undertook a process for the consolidation of Chiribiquete National Natural Park.  Activities included the exploration and biological characterization of the National Park (soils, vegetation, mammals, birds, herpetofauna, fish, butterflies, beetles, ants)  as well as the development of long-term ecological studies in the Puerto Abeja field station.  Research included permanent vegetation plots; structural and floristic characterization of forest types, growth monitoring of woody species, reproductive phenology of selected species, net primary productivity and decomposition of leaf litter; monitoring of understory bird communities; changes in trophic composition and structure; vegetation species growth and reproductive patterns, movement of individuals between forest types.

Based upon the analysis of information, a proposal for the Management Plan for Chiribiquete National Park was developed for the National Park Authorities.  More than 25 articles were published in scientific journals and approximately 30 students developed their graduate theses for different universities.

This initiative ground to an abrupt halt in September 2002 when, due to an intensification of the conflict between the State and the FARC guerrilla army, the FPR was forced to abandon the region.

 Consolidation and creation of National Parks (2003-2013).

The FPR re-oriented its activities to the construction of a map of Amazonian ecosystems, in advance of strategies for the re-settlement of farming families situated within the National Parks of the Macarena Special Administration Area and to the creation and expansion of Protected Areas. In addition, the FPR elaborated the research plan and justification for the expansion of the Chiribiquete National Park as well as the justificationt for the creation of the Yaigojé-Apaporis National Park. In 2011, the Yaigojé-Apaporis National Park was created with an area of 10.000 km2 and in 2013 Chiribiquete National Park was expanded from 13.000 km2 to 27.800 km2.

  Ecological connectivity in the Amazon (2014-2018).

Thirty-three years after the creation of the FPR, the panorama in the Amazon has changed. Almost 10% (50.000 km2) is under the protection of National Protected Areas, almost 47% (231.000 km2) corresponds to Indigenous Resguardos and 7% (32.000 km2) corresponds to areas superimposed between Protected Areas and Indigenous Resguardos. In summary, in 2014 78% of the total area of Colombian Amazonia was covered by some degree of legal protection. However, deforestation has also advanced. In 2016 deforestation extended over almost 40.000 km2 (8.4% of the total area) and the area corresponding to fragmented forest and secondary forest growth covered almost 18.000 km2. This increase in disturbed areas (mainly cattle grazing) has had substantial effect on the ecological connectivity between the zones of the Andean Mountain Range, Orinoquia and Amazonia, as well as the connection between the National Protected Areas and Indigenous Resguardos.  Under these circumstances,  it is urgent to undertake actions to halt further deforestation in these areas and in order to identify the critical zones of ecological connectivity. During the last four years, the FPR has concentrated its activities on achieving this objective.

 
First, the FPR has developed a general study for the identification of critical connections between Chiribiquete National Park and neighboring National Parks and has produced the most  detailed study of the ecological connectivity between Chiribiquete National Park and Macarena NP.

Progress made during this period is reflected by: 1) the government’s adoption in 2016 of the proposal for the environmental organization of the critical connection zone to the south of La Macarena NP; 2) the suspension in 2018 by the Colombian President of the construction of the marginal forest road in the same sector; 3) the prioritization of the critical ecological connectivity areas identified in the western Amazon as areas for the creation of National Protected Reserves (2017); and 4) the further expansion of Chiribiquete National Park from 27.800 km2 to almost 42.000 km2 (2018).

And finally, within the context of the consolidation of National Natural Parks, the FPR initiated a new phase of research activities in Chiribiquete National Park.  This includes the installation of two permanent vegetation plots, a new sampling of birds in four forest types with the elaboration of a long-term research program , and, the consolidation of local governance in Indigenous Resguardos.    FPR has developed, with for the indigenous communities of the Predio Putumayo Resguardo (La Chorrera sector),  a participative study of the characterization and specialization of ecosystem services with a concomitant risk evaluation of their eventual loss.
 

III. FPR’s OBJECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE

During the next 10 years, the FPR will focus on promoting the conservation of ecological and socio-cultural connectivity in the central zone of the Colombian Amazon by means of three main lines of work: long-term ecological research, socio-cultural knowledge and importance of the territory, and construction of conservation and sustainable management plans with local communities.

FPR has identified four priority zones: 1) the southeastern sector of Chiribiquete National Park 2) La Chorrera sector in the Predio Putumayo Indigenous Resguardo 3) the critical ecological connectivity zone between Chiribiquete National Park and Nukak National Reserve, and  4) the critical ecological connectivity area between the extreme north of Amazonia and the south of Orinoquia .

IV. FUNDING NEEDS!

In order to achieve this objective, the FPR currently has an urgent need for core funding to include:  field equipment, supplies and maintenance; office and staff costs; in-country travel;  and field per diem.