The conservation of mangrove ecosystems on the Pacific coast of Cauca is a priority both for the environmental authorities and for the community itself.
For this reason, the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cauca CRC, through the professional Environmental Management team, made a visit to carry out restoration actions and ecological evaluation in plots of the mangrove ecosystem in the community councils of Guapi Abajo, in the municipality de Guapi and in the community council of El Cuerval in Timbiquí.
These actions are carried out within the framework of the “Coastal Marina Actions” project, which leads actions aimed at community participation, with a gender approach, seeking to actively involve the community and learn about their needs and perspectives.
In addition to being part of the Plan for the Ordering, Management, Use and Exploitation of Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment Plan for the Ordering and Integrated Management of the Southern Floodplain Coastal Environmental Unit Pomiuacllas, an instrument for the planning and sustainable management of natural resources and the socioeconomic development of the communities of the Colombian Pacific.
Restoration
During the visit, ecological restoration actions were carried out in mangrove plots, such as the elimination of invasive species, planting of native species, and improvement of soil quality.
The ecological evaluation was also carried out to determine the state of the plots and their capacity to support wildlife.
Cristian Andrés Bernal, Agricultural Engineer of the CRC, expressed that “from the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cauca we have been carrying out activities focused on the restoration and ecological evaluation of mangrove plots on the Pacific coast of Cauca, with this we also seek the participation of the local community actively, where we also work with a gender approach, all this within the framework of a management plan that seeks the sustainable management of natural resources and the socioeconomic development of the region”.
The implementation of these activities contributes positively to the conservation of the mangrove ecosystem, ecological restoration, and the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems.
In addition to generating economic opportunities and improving the quality of life of local communities through job creation and the promotion of ecological tourism.
Revision
Precisely, the CRC held a meeting of the Board of Directors with the community in Timbiquí to review the objectives in this town and the Pacific coast of Cauca.
The council session allowed a broad presentation on control, protection and surveillance actions, as well as the projects that are carried out on issues of mining, reforestation, soil recovery, mangrove restoration, in addition to observing and supervising the actions undertaken in the framework of the Pacific-Biocultural-GEF agreement, executed by FAO and whose objective is to incorporate the sustainable management and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in vulnerable landscapes of the Colombian Pacific.
In this context, it is highlighted that in 2020, the Board of Directors of the CRC declared the K’õk’õi Euja Regional Protective Forest Reserve; protected area located in the municipalities of Timbiquí and López de Micay, which comprises a total of 11,641 hectares, which represent 56.9% of the territory of the Calle Santa Rosa Indigenous reservation of the Eperãra Siapidaarã indigenous people.
Priority
This area is part of the Saija River Biodiversity key area and is prioritized by the Alliance for Zero Extinction, due to the presence of the Golden Dart Frog (Phyllobates terribilis), which is endemic and endangered according to the Listings of the International Union for Conservation of Nature -IUCN.
Also in its habitat is the plant Anthurium siapidaarae, endemic to the Calle Santa Rosa Indigenous Reservation in a Vulnerable threat state.
The CRC has carried out actions in coordination with the members of the Calle Santa Rosa indigenous reservation and the community councils of Timbiquí, Guapi and López de Micay, who are strategic allies in the leadership of the different environmental exercises on the Pacific coast, as well as the Ecohabitats Foundation, with whom campaigns for the improvement, promotion and protection of this area have been led.
Likewise, under the leadership of the CRC, passive restoration projects are being carried out in areas degraded by illegal mining, with the Renacer Negro Community Council being strategic allies in this process that implies the development of ecological restoration strategies in mangrove areas and transitory ecosystems associated with the Naidí (Euterpe Oleacera); in addition to forestry.
For its part, PRAE School Environmental Projects have been promoted, with the aim of raising awareness and executing actions tending to promote in students the value of environmental care and protection, in addition to constant monitoring carried out by specialists from the entity through the various wildlife cameras located in the sector.
Likewise, in coordination with the FAO within the framework of the Pacific Biocultural agreement, an integral management of biodiversity has been carried out in the Pacific region of Cauca, which supports self-management and environmental knowledge of the territory for an integral development in the communities.
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