Land Protection
For the conservation of forests in Colombia, we use endangered primates such as the Colombian black spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps rufiventris), the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) and the Pacific night monkey (Aotus zonalis) as flagship species. Our main aim is to create community-led protected areas that protect remaining forests and habitats, connecting primate populations and other species, and ensuring access to vital natural resources for local communities.
We work with people from local communities interested in protecting natural habitats within their territories and conserving natural resources. Many local people appreciate first-hand the urgent need to adapt to a more sustainable way of life, and to care for their local environment, which makes them natural leaders in any conservation effort. In many cases, although they do not establish official protected areas, communities use internal social organisations to control deforestation and hunting practices and achieve incredible results.
In cases where we can help people create protected areas on their land, we support capacity building to ensure the management capabilities of the protected area, biological and socio-economic research, elaboration of detailed proposals and management plans, coordination with authorities and other local actors, and assume all the costs related to creation of the reserves, thus reducing the economic burden on these mainly impoverished communities.