Culturally, Santander is one of Colombia's richest regions. This is the second most significant department in Colombia in terms of the number of flora and fauna species, after Antioquia, having 9,344 species registered in 2018 (3,218 more than in 2017), 889 of them being endemic, 163 under threat and 227 with trade restrictions.

The context

The survival of the species living in the project area and the provision of ecosystem services are currently threatened by land use conversion into livestock and agriculture systems, as well as by logging and hunting. The expansion of these activities will result in the loss of native forest remnants and the biodiversity they host . The construction of roads has also boosted the colonization of human communities, increasing the pressure on natural resources and fostering the dispersal of invasive species.

The project

Making use of the "biodiversity bank" investment mechanism, the project's main objective is to implement conservation activities improving the health of the ecosystem and the quality and quantity of the services it provides. The mechanism facilitates the compensation of the impacts generated by the development of certain projects, while creating economic incentives for landowners to preserve and maintain local biodiversity.

The project also has a robust monitoring, reporting and verification system that focuses on obtaining net gains in biodiversity.

Sustainable activities to be implemented

The project activities are carried out in accordance with a conservation agreement, including:

• Restoration by planting native species.
• Conversion of traditional livestock systems to regenerative livestock or silvopastoral systems.
• Promotion of ecological tourism focused on birdwatching.

The benefits

Community:

• Strengthening the local economy.
• Job creation for the implementation of conservation activities.
• Environmental education.
• Financing conservation projects by private entities and/or stakeholders that voluntarily wish to contribute to biodiversity protection.

Nature:

• Protection of ecosystems to guarantee their services provision .
• Protection of the habitat for a wide variety of species.
• Conservation of plant and animal species, populations and communities that make up the biodiversity of the region.