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WWF's Approved Projects
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WWF in Colombia Colombia has an impressive inventory of plant and animal species. Ten per cent of all plant and animal species on earth, more species of birds than any other country, a fifth of the world's bat species, a sixth of all vertebrate species, and over a third of all neotropical primates can be found here. In addition, a third of its flora and one-eighth of its terrestrial vertebrates are found nowhere else on earth. A variety of ecosystems, ranging from deserts and savannah plains to coastal wetlands, Amazonian rainforest and frostlands of the Andean mountains make this diversity possible. But growing urbanization and consumption are chipping away at the country's natural resources. People are increasingly moving away from rural areas. An alarming 70 per cent of Colombians have already made the shift to the cities. Natural resource management is, therefore, increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few land-owning elite eager to make quick profits. The economic spin-offs are obvious: Colombia's Choco forests provide more than half the nation's timber, its marine resources are under-exploited, it has potential mineral wealth and vast water resources believed to be sufficient to meet much of the country's energy needs. Several roads and hydroelectric projects are already underway. The effects of such economic exploitation are telling on the country's environment. For example, Colombia's unique Choco forests -- one of the wettest places in the world -- are today one of the most threatened regions in the country. Similarly, in the Colombian Andes, cattle ranching 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. Political and civil unrest have made the conservation task difficult. This in turn is fuelled by the drugs trade and guerrilla insurgency. The drugs trade has led to massive deforestation in Colombia as vast fragile cloud forests are cleared for lucrative poppy plantations. WWF has been involved in conservation work in Hispanic South America (HSA). As part of its HSA Programme, the organization combines protected areas and natural resource management within a representative set of ecosystems. This includes Colombia's Choco region (Utria Sound) and the high Andes (Los Farallones de Cali National Park). It also undertakes key initiatives for the sustainable use of timber and non-timber forest resources and for the development of sustainable agricultural practices. In the Central Andes region, WWF is working with the Fundacion Herencia Verde to develop an integrated programme of conservation, environmental education and sustainable development. Research includes aerial and photographic mapping of the Quindio River watershed, studies of natural forest regeneration and measuring water runoff. WWF also supports the La Planada Nature Reserve. Perched on a high plateau on the Pacific Andean slopes of southwestern Colombia, this 3,500 ha reserve is home to unique plant and animal species, including the spectacled bear and the plate-billed mountain toucan. Some 500 species of orchids have also been recorded here. WWF gives special emphasis to environmental education. It provides support for environmental education training programmes and works with school children in the formal education sector. WWF also monitors regional trade agreements that could harm the environment. It encourages local leaders, through training programmes, to take up environmental concerns. One of WWF's biggest achievements in the region is helping develop a regional grassroots movement to mobilize support for conservation programmes. In addition to setting up training workshops, NGO participation is being encouraged in the development of an Environment Trust Fund in Colombia.
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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature