Protecting threatened species and creating opportunities for local sustainable development
The Nordeste and Magdalena Medio regions of Antioquia, Colombia are known for their unique ecosystems and extraordinary biodiversity. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier, deforestation, fauna and flora trafficking, and illegal mining have increased the pressure on endemic and threatened wildlife. The blue-billed curassow (Crax Alberti), brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus), white-footed tamarin (Saguinus leucopus) and jaguar (Panthera onca) are among the wildlife that call the region home. Many flora species such as purpleheart (Peltogyne paniculata), cumin (Aniba perutilis), yumbé (Caryodaphnopsis cogolloi) and zamia (Zamia incognita) are also threatened. The need for conservation and new sustainable activities, including restoration, agroforestry, organic cocoa, coffee cultivation, and even ecotourism is increasingly more urgent.
creating new job opportunities
benefitting in the Nordeste region of Antioquia
will benefit from improved ecosystem services
reserved for conservation, restoration and sustainable activities
protected thanks to the project
The project aims to protect critically endangered species such as the blue-billed curassow, which numbers less than 2,500 individuals in the wild, according to the IUCN. It does this by developing activities to allow the forest and water sources to recover while creating alternative forest-friendly livelihood opportunities for local communities, like agroforestry and silvopasture. South Pole teaches the landowners how they can receive sustainability certifications and trade their products in more competitive and specialized markets so they can increase their income and therefore improve their quality of life. By creating diverse income streams, communities are able to move away from practices that damage the environment, ensuring the project is sustainable in the long-term. As an added value, conservation actions will promote ecotourism.
Environmental benefits: ● Protection of ecosystems at risk and conservation of endemic and threatened species of fauna and flora. ● Protection of water sources and hydrobiological species. ● Reduction of deforestation and biodiversity loss risks due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier. ● Increase of ecological connectivity and contribution to the conservation corridors determined by the regional environmental authority. ● Protection and enhancement of the ecosystem services of the tropical humid forest and its biodiversity. ● Reduction of human-induced pressure on ecosystems and natural resources. ● Channeling of mandatory corporate compensations towards more efficient conservation mechanisms focused on the conservation priorities of the region. Community benefits: ● Implementation of productive activities within a regional protected area, according to the guidelines of the environmental authority and the DRMI zoning. ● Promotion of more competitive agricultural products with better transportation and commercialization that benefit small and medium producers. ● Increase of food and financial security through the diversification of rural economic activities. ● Improvement of natural resources supply through less polluting sustainable production. ● Development of long-term community conservation projects in alignment with the local economy and sustainability principles.
The biodiversity credits generated by this project allows companies to take responsibility for their environmental impacts and invest in the preservation of natural capital, supporting the development of rural communities and protecting biodiversity in an effective and measurable way.
South Pole's biodiversity, ecological connectivity and landscape strategy is focused on long-term impact. Matching our technical experience in conservation, restoration and implementation of sustainable activities with the specific social dynamics of the communities we work is a recipe for a successful, transformative project.
