Making knowledge work for forests and people
Together we can achieve sustainable management of tropical forestlands for the benefit of people, conservation and sustainable development.
More informationCorpoamazonia, the environmental authority in the Colombian Amazon, reports that 75,000 hectares of forest was lost in the first trimester of 2020, the same as in the whole of 2019. Participative productive restoration of forest landscapes aims to restore deforested land and improve livelihoods of those living in these areas. But most involved institutions approach this process from a very technical perspective, promoting the planting of trees species not always aligned with local conditions, and rely on ‘standard’ species, nurseries, cultivation patterns, management procedures and follow-up. But local communities have the capacity to build their own reforestation programmes based on traditional forest management, leading to truly participative productive restoration.
Cattle ranchers and indigenous people are often not good neighbours. The municipality of Solano, in the southern Colombian province of Caquetá, was no exception. After the guerrilla movement FARC was disarmed in 2016, a power vacuum developed in the region. Ranchers and indigenous people came to oppose each other. But by establishing a dialogue between the two groups, mutual respect and trust has grown and room has been created to work on joint solutions.
The educational processes on environmental issues about the use and conservation of the tropical dry forests in the Caribbean region in Colombia have been strengthen by the various educational materials produced by the project Alternative pedagogical approaches in the dry tropical forest.
Towards sustainable management, preservation and restoration of forested landscapes with special attention to cultural, social and economic aspects of indigenous groups, peasants, women and youth.