In 2009, members of the community of Santa Cecilia and the Risaralda environmental corporation (local environmental authority) created a reserve area, called the Alto Amurrupá Special Management Area (AME in Spanish) for afro-descendant communities. The area covers over 8,000 ha and includes two habitat types: tropical rainforest and montane forest. Both are very special habitats and home to many different species of endemic and threatened wildlife, including the Colombian black spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps rufiventris), the Panamanian night monkey (Aotus zonalis) and the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata).
Since 2017 we have been working with the community to support some of the development and management actions for the area, particularly those proposed by the community and related to conservation, such as strengthening tourism and leadership initiatives, as well as carrying out investigation work.