Sierra Nevada, Colombia

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, is an intertropical mountainous formation with a high altitude, reaching peaks of more than five thousand meters high, at only 40 kilometers from the Caribbean Sea. Declared as a National Natural Park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, this mountain range is unique due to its richness in climate, ecosystems and water.

Kankuamos, Koguis, Arhuacos and Wiwas are the four indigenous communities striving to fight to preserve their environment. They are key players in addressing the negative impact of climate change in their daily lives. The region suffers from deforestation and environmental consequences due to the melting of glaciers. This endangers their unique ecosystems and the culture of these ancestral people.

Local communities in partnership with ALLCOT and Conservation International

In light of this situation, local communities have shown interest in collaborating with organizations such as ALLCOT, an expert carbon project developer, and the NGO Conservation International (CI) Colombia, in projects having as their main goal to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). The planned actions include land use and management practices, in addition to initiatives proposed by the communities themselves related to quality of life, strengthening governance, territorial management and the preservation of traditional agricultural knowledge and practices.

The deterioration process of the territory dates back to the 1970’s. “From the inland regions of the country, many people came to the Sierra Nevada to get rich by illegal crop cultivation and a fast-paced economy” declared Fabio Montero, Governor of the Wiwa cabildo at La Guajira and Magdalena; a community of 22,000 people dedicated to agriculture. Montero added that most of the territory was “deforested ” by irregular exploitation, “cutting down trees, logging , burning and selling the wood”.

The partnership consolidation between ALLCOT and CI aims to implement good practices to protect the forests, with the primary objective of unifying forces to protect the territory, maintaining the native, millenary trees and preserving the water springs.