Victory for Locals and the Environment with New Conservation Area!

A new conservation area covering 75,116 acres (30,398 hectares) of tropical rainforest has just been established along Colombia’s Pacific coast.

“We are very happy, not only because the area is important for the country’s biodiversity, where a diversity of endemic and other emblematic species such as bats live; but because this declaration was achieved with the participation of several entities and community councils, so this constitutes a collective decision,” explains Santiago Castillo, a researcher at the Humboldt Institute.

Creating the Las Siete Sabias-Esperanza de Vida protected area is a win for nature and local communities, primarily for Afro-Colombians who rely on the area for their water and economy. The forests within the “Siete Sabias” – or the Seven Wise Women – area has been labelled as Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA). Various studies have found over 90 species of plants and 479 species of animals, with scientists estimating the numbers even higher. Furthermore, many threatened species call this area home, including Geoffroy’s tamarin, the Choco broad-nosed bat, and the saffron-headed parrot. Major rivers lie within the Siete Sabias, including the Cabí River, which supplies roughly 108,000 local people with water. These local communities are being encouraged and taught how to use resources sustainably to preserve all the unique ecosystems within the area.