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Success without deforestation

September 22, 2015

Colombia's rangers and farmers need lots of space for production, which usually comes at the expense of the environment. But they could be successful and sustainable at the same time. They just need to learn how.

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Image: Michael Altenhenne

Protecting Colombia's Largest National Park

06:05

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Project objective: Develop and implement effective protective measures in Chiribiquete National Park
Project size: At 2.8 million hectares, it is one of the largest national parks in the Amazon region and the largest in Colombia. Nine pilot farms are involved
Project budget: 3,000,000 euros provided by the International Climate Initiative (ICI)
Biodiversity: The park area is home to at least 355 bird species, including the endemic Chiribiquete Emerald hummingbird and the rare racket-tailed coquette. The jaguar and the Amazon river dolphin are found there too.

Chiribiquete National Park is enormously important for the global climate. But the surrounding area has the highest rate of deforestation in Latin America. As demand for agricultural land increases, deforestation is moving dangerously close to the park's borders. A GIZ and ICI project aims to convince farmers to implement more resource-efficent methods on their farms and avoid cutting down trees. The few surviving forest areas around the national park need better protection, as they are important for the threatened biodiversity of the region.

A film by Michael Altenhenne

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