The Barbacoas wetland is located in the middle Magdalena Valley lowlands at the left margin in Antioquia Department of Colombia. Its native vegetation is tropical rainforest, comparable to the Amazon rainforest in terms of endemism and number of species, and also harbors a large number of migratory bird species. This unique ecosystem includes nearly 20% of all Colombian species in a very restricted area, many of which are endemic (have a small home ranges, sometimes even absent on the eastern bank of the River). Of its original size of about 14.000 km2, today only 10-15% remains. Despite its extreme importance and the severe threat, there are no national or regional protected areas that include this ecosystem.

Fundación BioDiversa Colombia has worked in the area since 2006 as a part of three of our projects for the conservation of endangered species: the silvery-brown tamarin (Saguinus leucopus), the river turtle (Podocnemis lewyana), both endemic to the area, and the spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps). As part of our work, we were looking for places in Colombia that still had significant populations of these species. We visited Barbacoas for the first time in 2006 and, from that moment on, we have devoted our efforts to the protection of these wetlands and forests, which are possibly the best preserved of the middle Magdalena River basin. It still has large populations of the endangered Northern Screamer or chavarri (Chauna chavaria), the American crocodile (Cocodylus acutus), and the manatee (Trichechus manatus), among several other animal species that are endangered and/or endemic such as Panthera onca, Crax alberti and Cairina moschata. Moreover, the Barbacoas wetlands are considered the most important fish nursery for the commercial fish species of this part of the Magdalena River.. The original forests still have large numbers of the most important timber species such as the Cedar (Cedrela odorata) and the Colombian Mahogany (Cariniana pyriformis).

Nevertheless, the area is at risk because of extremely high deforestation rates (about 500 ha per year). Our analyses indicate that, at the current rate, the forests of Barbacoas will disappear in less than 15 years. The main cause of deforestation is the expansion of cattle farming; the landowners extract valuable and less valuable timber and, finally, burn the rest to grow grass for the cattle. Many farmers also clear the border of the wetlands and allow their herds to graze at the edge of the water. Unfortunately, the local environmental agency that should control and forbid these actions is unable to generate sufficient presence in the area.

However, Fundacion BioDiversa Colombia has been working with landowners, the local environmental agency (Corantioquia), and the Municipality of Yondó towards the creation of a protected public area in Barbacoas. The landowners were at first reluctant to even discuss conservation or sustainability, but we have since been able to raise awareness and show them how important the natural ecosystem is for all involved. At the moment there are five owners whose lands add up to 11.000 ha and are willing to subscribe to conservation agreements and will make their farms part of the protected area. This does not mean that cattle farming would stop, but the goal is to reduce the deforestation rates by about 90% in the next 5-7 years, and change the current techniques of raising cattle to those which are more sustainable

 

 

This goal has proven very difficult, since the local environmental authority does not have the resources -people or money- to create and manage such a large area (ca. 20.000 ha). Therefore Fundacion BioDiversa Colombia has an agreement with them and the Municipality, where they declare the area and we will manage it. As a part of our commitment to this large project, the Small Grants for the Purchase of Nature program of the IUCN- Netherlands provided us with a grant to buy a small portion of forest and create a private reserve that will serve as our operation base and research facility in the area. We aim to build a green and sustainable research station that can house researchers, students and general nature enthusiats. The creation of a public protected area and a small private reserve are the first steps towards the conservation of the Barbacoas wetlands and its surrounding forests. It is a challenging task but our commitment and passion will translate into a model that combines production and economic sustainability with the taking advantage of what is possibly the last opportunity to protect one of the last remaining of the unique rainforests and wetlands of the middle Magdalena Valley.

Update of the Environmental Management Plan of the Barbacoas wetland complex, carried out as a cooperation agreement between Fundación BioDiversa Colombia, the Yondó Municipality and Corantioquia. Final report. Download pdf here (Spanish, 2.77 MB)