A unique and threatened biodiversity

Few countries can boast as many ecosystems as Colombia. Three Andean cordilleras, two oceans, tropical rainforests or dry, deserts or rivers: in total, the country has more than 300 ecosystems. If a third of the country is covered by the Amazon rainforest, we must not forget the three cordilleras, with peaks of more than 5,000 meters in altitude. This diversity allows the country to shelter a wide range of species, including endemic species: there are at least 9,000! The marine ecosystems are just as varied, thanks to the two coasts, one on the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the other on the Caribbean Sea to the east. In 2021, Colombia marked the COP26 by announcing, together with the governments of Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador, the creation of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), a protected maritime strip that will become one of the largest and richest marine reserves in the world.

However, according to WWF, half of these fragile and precious environments are threatened or already in a critical state of degradation. Entire hectares of forest are being razed to make way for illegal cattle ranching, coca cultivation, or to set up illegal mines. Sometimes, the danger comes from where it is not expected, as in the case of the hippopotamuses introduced by Pablo Escobar, which have become a threat to biodiversity. From four individuals that lived in the zoo of the famous drug trafficker in the 1980s, there are now 80 in the course of the Magdalena River. These intruders are destroying the banks and hunting local species, some of which are already on the verge of extinction, such as manatees and caimans.

Highly politicized resources

For the second year in a row, Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for environmental defenders. On Colombian soil, sixty-five people died for defending the environment in 2020. A macabre record that takes place against the backdrop of conflict between FARC, rebel and paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, illegal miners and the government for control of the lucrative natural resources. Those who dare to protect their territory become targets, especially the indigenous communities, the biggest victims.

With the signing of the peace treaty in 2016, large areas were freed from the yoke of the armed revolutionaries. So large, in fact, that the government took the initiative to launch the Colombia Bio exploration program, to discover and document these still almost unknown areas.

However, this peace agreement has not helped, and has even increased the deforestation phenomenon tenfold. This is carried out by the large landowners who control the country, by drug traffickers or smugglers. Faced with the illegal exploitation of resources, President Iván Duque has even put the protection of the environment in the hands of the military with Operation Artemisa, which he has decided to extend even to marine environments in 2022.

Natural parks: ecological paradises

After decades of protection efforts, Colombia now has 59 national parks, some of the most beautiful in the world. From the peaks of the Andes to the Amazonian canopy, they represent more than 14% of the territory. With its virgin forest, white sandy beaches and mangroves, it is easy to see why Parque Nacional Tayrona

is the most visited. It is home to a rich fauna and flora, including bats, birds, reptiles, and mammals, but also marine species such as many corals.

However, it is the Serranía de Chiribiquete National Park (Guaviare and Caquetá) which is the largest, with 4.3 million hectares: a little more than Switzerland! It is classified not only as a natural heritage site, but also as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. If it is not surprising that the one nicknamed the maloca (traditional Amazonian house) of the jaguar, so much it shelters these felines, receives honors for its biodiversity, it is the first of the Colombian parks to also have a classification for its cultural heritage. No less than 75,000 rock paintings have been discovered at the foot of the steep high plateaus called tepuys, characteristic of the region.

The Macarena Natural Park is located at the meeting point of the Amazon, the Orinoco and the Andes, so the species it shelters are very varied and include deer, anteaters, jaguars, monkeys and cougars. Between September and November, the Caño Cristales River turns red thanks to a small endemic plant called Macarenia clavigera. Other parks, such as the Parque Nacional El Cocuy, where there are also indigenous U'was reserves, or the Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados, show the snowy face of Colombia with some of the highest peaks in the country.

The rise of ecological awareness

In Colombia, ecology takes on a whole new meaning. In addition to an environmentalist dimension, it embodies a social dimension, since it is a question of protecting the indigenous communities that inhabit the forests, the many Colombians who live from agriculture and of developing ecotourism. In recent decades, there has been a growing environmental awareness, which reached its peak in 2022, when Francia Márquez, a famous environmental activist, entered the presidential race. After forming a coalition with one of the favorites, Gustavo Petro, senator and former mayor of Bogotá, she is poised to become the first Afro-Colombian woman vice president, a historic shift for both Colombian minorities and the environment that is difficult to separate. Francia Márquez, an activist since she was 13, is one of the faces of Colombian ecology. In fact, she is unfortunately on the morbid list of Colombian environmentalists who have suffered an assassination attempt, after three individuals opened fire in May 2019. After having fought against the clandestine gold mines that plague the country and the detour of the Ovejas River, but also having participated in the peace negotiations with the FARC, she now embodies a real breath of hope for many communities that depend on the environment.