NaturAmazonas, the flagship conservation program started by GTE and Conservation International, has grown into an alliance of public and private institutions working together to address the root causes of deforestation. It works to develop solutions for reversing the process, while increasing the well-being of nearby communities.
GTE’s program has grown into a joint effort between the Colombian Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, regional environmental agency, Corpoamazonia, and NGO Conservation International which oversees the project. The overall objective is to create the conditions required to protect and conserve Colombia’s Amazonia region by planting millions of trees and conserving land to restore important forested lands, helping residents live and work in greater harmony with the forest, and fostering partnerships amongst the institutions needed to effect long-term change at scale. Over the past 10 years this initiative has strengthened the mechanisms needed for sustainable reforestation, agricultural development and large-scale conservation including:
- Bringing numerous public and private institutions under an established framework to collaborate and increase their combined impact.
- Increasing knowledge of, and respect for, the value of forested areas.
- Implementing mechanisms for people and communities that reside in the area to make a sustainable living in harmony with nature.
Over the past eight years, this USD $18 million initiative has reforested and ecologically restored over 2,100 hectares of land and has attracted additional partners interested in moving this revolutionary program forward.
+0M
trees
+1.7M trees have been planted
through NaturAmazonas
0
people
4,418 people have been positively impacted through NaturAmazonas
+0
hectares
Over 2,100 hectares of land have been
reforested and ecologically restored
SWIPE FOR MORE
+0M
seedlings
Over 3.7M seedlings have been cultivated at the NaturAmazonas nurseries
+0
farmers
Over 400 Farmers have been trained in producing deforestation-free, organic cacao
+0
beekeepers
Over 400 beekeepers have received technical training and materials to build sustainable businesses
SWIPE FOR MORE
Agroforestry Centres
The Guayuyaco Agroforestry Centre in the town of Piamonte was converted and refurbished from an abandoned social site of a nearby Indigenous Inga community and is capable of growing over one million seedlings each year to support the reforestation initiative. Women from Miraflores and the surrounding areas carry out planting work at the Guayuyaco Agroforestry Centre. Cacao seedlings are spliced together to develop high quality and resilient varieties of the crop.
The Sacha Wasi Agroforestry Centre located in El Mesón, Villagarzón has a production capacity of one million seedlings per year, a total area of 8.06 hectares, and is designed with spaces to store materials, equipment and supplies. This agricultural-focused nursery includes specific areas for preparation and bagging of the substrate, irrigation, germination, management and sowing modules.
Sustainable Cacao Production
A central premise of NaturAmazonas is that durable conservation must be linked with local economic opportunity. Organic cacao agroforestry and stingless beekeeping (meliponiculture) are two complementary activities supporting forest protection and household income. Cacao agroforestry simultaneously restores tree cover and provides long-term earnings for families, while native stingless bees pollinate cacao and other crops, strengthening ecosystem health and creating additional jobs. Families participating in cacao, conservation, and meliponiculture programs receive technical training and materials to build sustainable livelihoods while contributing to the protection of the Amazon.
Knowledge Generation
Local residents were hired for expeditions deep into the Piedmont, collecting and categorizing over 10,000 specimens of native plants. They are referred to as Guardians of Botanical Knowledge and they build their knowledge about the native plants and contribute to the creation of important mapping of the botanical make-up of the forest in their areas. Previously unknown plant species have been discovered by the Guardians.
So far, 27,000 specimens have been collected and processed, 1,404 of species have been identified, two of which are new for Colombia and over 130 people have directly benefited from the project.
Botanical Health Development Through Beekeeping
Thousands of bees swarm around unprotected beekeepers, who are not concerned because these are stingless bees, native to this part of the Amazon rainforest. It had previously been illegal in Colombia to cultivate stingless bees, but Gran Tierra worked with the Colombian authorities to change the regulations to allow local people to engage in this important line of sustainable production through the Company’s NaturAmazonas program. With 6,000 hives pollinating 24,000 hectares of plants and trees, supporting reforestation and contributing to botanical health, the bees are also producing honey for the farmers—a valuable, durable commodity with appeal in both local and national markets.
There is a high demand for stingless bee syrups, which have a number of different flavours, and keepers can also rent the bees out to local farmers for pollination, providing yet another stream of income. The association of beekeepers continues to grow, with 425 current members having been trained and certified.
Image Gallery
Image Gallery
