CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CENTRAL ANDES OF COLUMBIA


(Project C00854)

C


attle ranching in the Colombian Andes has destroyed cloud forests and water retention, and has caused soil erosion, siltation, and flooding. Today, less than a fifth of the original cloud forest cover remains.

The Alto Quindío Nature Reserve, harbouring one of Colombia's few remnants of tropical cloud forests, is inside the buffer zone of Los Nevados National Park. The park protects the threatened montane forests and paramo ecosystems, as well as important watersheds.

In an effort to protect the Quindío River's threatened watershed, WWF is promoting sustainable agriculture and reforestation. Deforestation at high altitudes has already led to soil erosion and affected the watershed, reducing the water supply to the lucrative coffee growing region of the central Andes.

WWF is working with the Fundación Herencia Verde (FHV) to develop an integrated programme of conservation, environmental education, and sustainable development in the region. Research includes aerial and photographic mapping of the Quindío River watershed, studies of natural forest regeneration, measuring water runoff from different kinds of vegetation, and developing criteria for identifying key reforestation areas. In addition, a regional planner is working with local leaders to draw up an overall development plan for the area. Elsewhere, individual landowners are involved in developing integrated land-use plans which include agricultural production, livestock, and conservation of native forestry.

Environmental education is a key component of the programme. Besides training and workshops to promote sustainable resource use, work is also being done with school children in the formal education sector. Plans to develop an environmental programme for the growing tourist crowd in the region are also afoot.




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