Listen to some of the animals that live in El Silencio and the surrounding forests.

The silence, natural reserve, and research station.

Let’s save the forests and wetlands of the Middle Magdalena Valley.

Biodiverse Colombia Foundation has been working in the Middle Magdalena Valley since 2006 on conservation projects for three threatened species: the gray tamarin (Saguinus leucopus), the river turtle (Podocnemis lewyana), both endemic to this area, and the brown spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps).

Tití gris (Saguinus leucopus)/ Foto:Juan Manuel Martínez

As part of this work, FBC first visited the wetlands of Barbacoas in 2009, and since then, we have dedicated our efforts to protecting these wetlands and forests, which are possibly the best-preserved in the middle basin of the Magdalena River. In Barbacoas, there are still significant populations of threatened and/or endemic species such as the blue-billed curassow (Crax alberti), the Magdalena caiman (Crocodylus acutus), the manatee (Trichechus manatus), the jaguar (Panthera onca), and the horned screamer (Chauna chavaria).

Furthermore, the wetlands of Barbacoas are considered the most important nursery for fry of commercially important fish species in the middle and lower parts of the Magdalena River basin. The original forests still have high numbers of important and critically threatened timber species such as cedar (Cedrela odorata), abarco (Cariniana pyriformis), and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla).

Bosques de Barbacoas / Photo: Catalina Giraldo

The wetlands of Barbacoas are located in the lowlands of the middle Magdalena River valley, on its left bank in the department of Antioquia, municipality of Yondó in Colombia. Its natural vegetation is tropical rainforest, comparable to the Amazon in terms of endemism and species numbers, which is also home to numerous species of migratory birds. This unique ecosystem contains almost 20% of all species in Colombia in a very restricted area, many of which are endemic (having small vital areas, some of which are not even found on the right bank of the river). From its original area of ​​around 14,000 km2, only between 10 and 15% remains today.

The biggest threat in the area is illegal and indiscriminate logging, which has several causes or drivers. The most important one is the expansion of pastureland for extensive livestock farming, which historically has reduced most of the forested areas. However, in recent years, two new activities have arrived in the area and are now as important and devastating as the former: the expansion of industrial oil palm plantations and legal and illegal mining, especially for gold. These threats together make the future of these ecosystems increasingly uncertain. Furthermore, deforestation is no longer the most important problem in the region; now water and soil pollution, both surface and underground, are added to the list. Mining activities in this area use mercury and arsenic, both extremely toxic and polluting, causing serious and irreversible consequences for wildlife and livestock, the main economic activity in the area.

Despite these threats, there are no nationally or regionally protected areas to ensure the future of these ecosystems. That is why the Biodiverse Colombia Foundation is working in the area to engage with different local stakeholders such as cattle ranch owners, local authorities, and communities in the conservation and sustainability of Barbacoas. This work has been effective, as the Biodiverse Colombia Foundation now has a private nature reserve in the area called El Silencio, and the process of declaring a public protected area that includes the wetlands and adjacent forest fragments is in its final stages.

Together with the environmental authority, Corantioquia, and the Municipality of Yondó, FBC has raised the profile of Barbacoas, and now this area is being considered by a large number of institutions, both public and private, such as The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, Ecopetrol, Humedales Foundation, University of Antioquia, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Research, among many others; these institutions now understand the importance and threats facing the wetlands of Barbacoas and its forests and are beginning to work on the conservation of this natural wonder.

At the Biodiverse Colombia Foundation, we are confident that we will achieve our conservation goals, as many things have changed since we first visited Barbacoas in 2009. Government and private institutions were practically nonexistent in the area before, and even very few people working in conservation did not even know that this beautiful natural gem existed. Now, different stakeholders are working together towards the same objectives, and Barbacoas has been positioned as one of the most important wetland complexes in the Magdalena River basin. Its conservation can be achieved by including cattle ranch owners in our conservation activities, thus enhancing our results in specific areas and expanding them to larger areas. Together with local and regional authorities, FBC works to ensure that productive activities are sustainable, with the highest environmental and social standards to guarantee the long-term conservation of Barbacoas.

Lee un poco más sobre el aspecto social de Barbacoas.

Mira aquí la vista panorámica de El Silencio (cortesía de ForestVisions)

Lee aquí cómo puedes ayudar esta iniciativa de conservación.