During the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, the ProAves of Colombia Foundation has made significant progress in their Conservation programs by linking 21 properties with a total of 1,382 hectares approximately owned and 02 plots of 165 hectares, belonging to third parties (neighbors) outside the Foundation and committed to the Conservation of Forests in the country to National Parks of Colombia, through the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP).

In this regard, it should be made clear that these steps are important to ProAves because the continuity of natural ecological and evolutionary processes is ensured maintaining biological diversity on the properties registered as Civil Society Natural Reserves, figure in Colombia that has the purpose of contributing to knowledge, consolidation and positioning of private conservation initiatives through processes of sustainable use and management of biodiversity in perpetuity (forever); and thus, the properties linked acquire the following: “Area in which primitive conditions of flora and fauna exist, for the conservation, research and study of their natural resources.”

The specific objectives sought with linking properties of ProAves to SINAP are:

•  Preserve and restore the natural condition of the spaces representing the country’s ecosystems.
• Preserve populations and habitats necessary for the survival of the species or group of species.
•  Preserve the productive capacity of natural ecosystems.
• Maintain natural hedges and restore processes of restoration.

As a result of the work of recent years, they were able to link a total of 21 new properties between 2014 and 2016, for a total of approximately 1,382 hectares. In this order, the properties and number of hectares linked in the past two years are: 16 belonging to the department of Santander, 14 of the Helmeted Curassow Bird Reserve in the municipality of San Vicente de Chucurí and recently on the property Buena Vista more than 8,600 m2 were added to the area that was already linked, according to a new resolution issued by National Parks.  In the last october, a new property for 47 hectares at Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve was registered as Civil Society Natural Reserves on the property “Reinita Cerúlea”. In the Niceforo’s Wren Bird Reserve in the municipality of Zapatoca, 1 related property.

2 in the department of Tolima, in the Natural Amphibian Reserve Ranita Dorada in Falan; 1 in the department of Meta, Orange – Breasted Falcon Bird Reserve in the city of Villavicencio; 1 in the municipality of Jardín (Antioquia), in the Yellow eared Parrot Bird Reserve; and finally, 1 in El Dorado Bird Reserve, municipality of Santa Marta in the department of Magdalena.

ProAves has also done significant work during this time with neighboring communities to our reserves and who want to link their land to be allocated to National Parks and destine them to conservation. In this sense, ProAves supports them with no particular interest other than conserving forests areas, advising and accompanying them in the proceedings before National Parks; An example of this is the support for linking two properties outside our Foundation with a total of 165 hectares, belonging to neighbors of the Dusky Starfrontlet Bird Reserve, located in a rural area of ​​the municipality of Urrao (Antioquia) .

Finally, we thank the ProAves team supporting this work to link the SINAP protected areas (our own and others) and who manage to comply with our conservation goals, adequate coordination in the management plans (which our conservation plans match and go hand in hand with plans for National Parks), recognition and positioning within the guild of conservation and greater credibility with the public.

 With the support of:

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In the last months, ProAves has developed a new initiative to gender approach in two municipalities in the Departments of Antioquia and Meta; to train women in economic empowerment, under the strategy: Women Empowered By Conservation (MEC).

As part of the work lines of  Education and Conservation of the Foundation ProAves, a series of training courses for women in the municipality of Anorí (Antioquia), living near our Natural Bird Reserve Arrierito Antioqueño, started last July. In this municipality, we managed to train a total of 35 women in the development of cloth shoes, as a strategy of empowerment and productive / participatory economic autonomy  of women leaders in sustainable activities. 

 The women participants in these workshops have been key players in the processes of environmental education in areas close to our conservation areas and know the work done by our environmental educators to convey the message of awareness for the protection of biodiversity and participated in activities with the rest of the community, add invaluable actions to promote collective awareness towards conservation. These activities today are possible through partnerships of community participation as the Environmental Bureau of Anori, Regional Autonomous Corporation of Central Antioquia (Corantioquia), Municipal Association of Anoriseñan Women (AMMUAN) and other organizations with a presence in the municipality.

For Marcela Galeano García, legal representative of AMMUAN, these initiatives contribute to the empowerment of the women in Anorí, they are important for them in being the protagonists of their own development; thanks to the support of partnerships such as that with the Foundation ProAves since 2013, in order to provide advice and productive workshops for groups of women in rural areas of the municipality. In addition, the participants in these workshops promoted by the alliance between both NGOs, provide training in environmental education topics such as: care and conservation of the forest, solid waste management, protection of the heritage, workshops to prevent the  logging of trees and proper handling of water heritage. With this training over the years, ProAves has undertaken an appropriate and interdisciplinary intervention with about 8 groups of women, especially those having to do with economic empowerment (income generation through productive units) of the anoriseñan women. 

“The synergy of these workshops have allowed women to participate, share and exchange knowledge. We are very grateful to the Foundation, because they have allowed us to provide the women in rural area different alternatives to that  to which they are accustomed”, concluded the representative of AMMUAN.

Given the above conditions, the ProAves Foundation with the support of the Probienestar Association of the Colombian Family (Profamilia) managed to retake, last September, a training process in the municipality of Mapiripán (Meta) with a group of 45 women, between youths and adults, belonging to Women Empowered by Conservation (MEC) and who are close to our Natural Reserve El Jaguar; on issues related to: empowerment, leadership, social participation, conflict transformation, life projects and management of sustainable projects (economic empowerment) to improve their quality of life and reduce the pressure on the Amazon ecosystem with practices common exploitation in this region such as overfishing or labor in monoculture and thus mitigate its destruction. 

As a result of this process in Mapiripán, currently the implementation of the second stage of education and training in sustainable production initiatives is being worked on such as: kitchen gardens and Ecotourism to reach the goal of having consolidated groups of women leaders and organized in productive participatory activities, to improve the quality of life of their families and thus the benefits for the conservation of ecosystems in their region.

With the support of: 

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Thanks to the efforts of ProAves, Thirteen (13) Reciprocal Agreements forWater (ARAs) have been signed this year, as a strategy of Payments for Environmental Services and Socioambiental Marketing showing the commitment of the community of Jardín towards the care of their water sources; making that five hundred fifty two (552) hectares of mountainous rain forests protected.

With the support of the municipal authorities, the Public Utilities company, Engineering Total, the Cerro San Rafael Corporation and the urban municipal community of Jardín in Antioquia, 13 ARAs have been established in properties located in areas of municipal water supply which, also are of vital ecological importance to protect the high Andean forest and watershed management to ensure the quantity and quality of water in the municipality, specifically in the microbasins:  Quebrada Bonita, La Herrera, Linda and La Salada, which are located in the protected area Integrated District Management (DMI) Cuchilla Jardín Natural Resources – Támesis.

The owners of the 552 hectares to be conserved over an average of 5 years, will do it hand in hand with the Cerro San Rafael Corporation (made up members of the community), Total Engineering company, representatives of the Municipal Technical Assistance Units (Umata) of the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Central Antioquia (Corantioquia) and ProAves. In turn, this process is led by Mr. Carlos José Quintero, an owner who encourages the signing of the ARAs, member of the Committee of Coffee Growers and chairman of the rural aqueduct, who voluntarily and with great commitment, is responsible for directing the delivery processes of incentives and activities for the “Pride Campaign”, which has promoted and motivated high mountain farmers for several years to keep their resources and their natural heritage, especially their water sources.   

The success of the community in making the voluntary village contributions and forest owners signing ARAs contributions, is due largely to the proposed activities within the framework of this campaign which have promoted cross-cutting activities with the promotion of Reciprocal Agreements for Water with more than 5,000 people, among which stand out: workshops in educational venues, participatory reforestation with native trees, environmental programs in community media, celebration of the Week for Water and ARAs to parks, the latter to encourage people to make voluntary contributions to support the delivery of incentives to the committed  owners.

Among the incentives provided by the signing of the ARAs include: reforestation with native species, delivery of wood saving stoves, fencing, environmental signage, septic tanks, delivery of native trees and seeds. In addition, the Cerro San Rafael Corporation supports properties committed to this initiative of fencing off water sources, signage to promote awareness on the properties that have signed up and are in areas surrounding protected forests to prevent hunting, the use of pesticides, among others; and to give proof of the agreement, these commitments are made to the Municipal Notarialand witnesses.

As result of years of conservation on the properties that they have signed, the owners have noticed major changes such as low frequency hunting activities, the Andean Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruviana sanguinolenta) has been seen again, improved water quality in the area and the ARAs are considered a good strategy to prevent future environmental problems in the region this was stated by Mr. Julio Eduardo Vargas, one of the first owners to benefit from this initiative, “the ARAs are essential, some 40 years ago maybe these waters were very good waters, perhaps they exist still, but looking to the future in about thirty or twenty years, who knows what will happen, it takes a lot reforest”.

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ProAves publishes volume Number 24 of the scientific journal Colombian Conservation  October 27, 2016; a special edition dedicated to peace and the conservation of biodiversity in Colombia. It should be noted again that the list of birds of Colombia increased to 1,937 species.

For this edition the discovery of a new species of butterfly to science stands out and its name is dedicated to peace. This butterfly flies only in certain areas of the Amazon region of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. This new species was described by an international team of experts led by Dr. Blanca Huertas (Natural History Museum, UK) in collaboration with Dr. Gerardo Lamas (National University of San Marcos, Peru), Giovanny Fagua (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia), Dr. James Mallet (Harvard University, USA); and Shinichi Nakahara and Dr. Keith Willmott (University of Florida, USA).

The name of this butterfly, Magneuptychia pax, is dedicated to the ongoing peace process in Colombia and to all those affected by the conflict, including those forests which the species inhabits; It is probably one of the hundreds of species present in Colombia that are still unknown to science. It is described in this issue we want it to be an important message in our editorial page we want to discuss the current context of the peace process in Colombia entitled Peace and Conservation.

The species epithet pax means peace in Latin.

 More information can be found at:

The Natural History Museum “Scientists name new butterfly to recognise

Colombia peace process”

Conservación Colombiana (Download on-line editions)

A remarkable new butterfly species from western Amazonia (Lepidoptera:

Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) Download here

The Biological Education and Gender Empowerment Program applied to the Amazon Project is 6 years old and has had continuous activities with different actors in the villages of the municipalities of Mapiripán, San José del Guaviare and Inirida under the approach of two lines of work; biological Education and community work (Gender Empowerment).

In 2013, the Biological Education Program (BEP) began in Colombia with the support of the Guanacaste Conservation Area of Costa Rica, who created the program and have over 25 years of successful experience. However, since 2011 the PEB has been working in the training of children in different educational centers in the area. The program objective in Colombia is to  support the conservation of the northern Amazon, which is part of the Natural Reserve El Jaguar and the Natural Bird Reserve Águila Arpía of ProAves, integrating the community with the conservation project.

As some of the results of the PEB during the 6 years of the initiative, (2011 to first quarter of 2016), we can highlight the following achievements: i) Biological Education Program in Educational Centers: to date a total of 2,334 children between 4 and 15 years old have been trained in the following departments: first, in the department of Meta, municipality of Mapiripán, the villages of: Caño Siria, Puerto Siare, Esteros Bajos, San Jose, Caño Minas, Casco Urbano, La Orqueta, Inspection Puerto Alvira, El Anzuelo, Rincon del Indio and Vereda Esteros Altos. For a total of 1,579 children trained in Meta; second, in the department of Guaviare, in the villages of: La Fuga, Puerto Nare, Caño Negro and Charras a total of 315 children have been trained and, finally, in the department of Guainía Raudal in the village of the Mapiripana, 440 children have been trained.

Likewise, the total number of schools that form a part of PEB is 17; of which 12 belong to municipality of Mapiripán in the Department of Meta, 4 the municipality of San José del Guaviare and one in the municipality of Inirida, Guainia department. As for coverage results 82 students who completed the first phase of biological education have been certified. By the end 2016, the proposed goal is certify 800 students in 3 departments.

ii) Gender Empowerment: the work is aimed at establishing the gender empowerment approach to youth and women in mitigating climate change  projects to meet the challenge of effectiveness, sustainability and positive impact to each region; and for these initiatives to effectively contribute in the construction of sustainable development, measures and / or strategies that facilitated the empowerment of the communities involved and the local population, through workshops and training with productive activities that aroused interest, were considered in the environmental awareness.

In addition different component courses on sexual and reproductive rights were performed as strategy with the support of the Profamilia Organization with which it was possible to train 30 women between 12 and 35 years of the municipality of Mapiripán around issues on sexual and reproductive rights.

Finally, on the issue of empowerment, ProAves Foundation and the National Apprenticeship Service (SENA) established an alliance for work, which aims to support the activities and proposals under the Young Rural Entrepreneurs Program, guided by the SENA and promotes the realization of training activities aimed at the creation of sustainable productive units in the region. For this reason we are looking for 30 young people in the municipality of Mapiripán in Meta, with an age range between 15 and 22 years, to train in the development of productive projects and acquisition of technical and entrepreneurial skills; whose purpose is the creation of sustainable rural production units and generating income, competitiveness of the Colombian countryside, offering rural tourism services and that they can be provided with monitoring through rural technical assistance.

As a result of this process today there is a group of 12 young people who formed a production unit called “LLanokoriche” which is aimed at promoting tourism in the municipality of Mapiripán. They are supported by ProAves and are currently managing the search for resources to strengthen their work plan.

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During the past year, ProAves Foundation has worked hard in implementing conservation corridors and environmental education strategies with communities to protect the wide biodiversity in the municipality of Timbiquí, Department of Cauca in Colombia.

Within the framework of the above observations, the Negro Renacer Community Council is covered by Law 70 of 1993, which establishes mechanisms for the protection of cultural identity, the rights of Afro-Colombian communities as an ethnic group through the promotion of economic and social development in order to ensure that these communities get real conditions of equality and opportunity as the rest of the Colombian population.

 In this vein, the Cooperation Agreement for the declaration, constitution and the establishment of a conservation area within the collective territory of the Community Council, studied the fostering of alternatives so that within the protected area scenarios might be discovered beyond those described in a paper; initiatives such as formulating a plan for environmental management, linking families as rangers, implementation of environmental education programs, generating new agreements with training institutions such as the National Apprenticeship Service (SENA) and universities in the region are explored. At the same time, consolidate a network of stakeholders for the formulation of productive projects with institutions such as the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cauca (CRC), the governor of Cauca, among other key players for the initiative achieved.

The signing of the described agreement was achieved late last year and is in the process of waiting for 2016 so that this initiative may be socialized with all of the community that makes up the Council; and create therefore the conservation area through the approval of the Assembly of the Renacer Negro Community Council.

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Communities, organizations and environmental institutions continue in joining efforts to end the threat to the Yellow-eared Parrot and Wax Palm at Easter, to strengthen the message of conservation of these species.

 “This sister (Mother Earth) cries out because of the damage that we cause her because of the irresponsible use and abuse of the goods that God has put in her. We grew up thinking we were the owners and rulers, allowed to exploit it.” With these strong words of Pope Francisco, humanity is invited to respect the “common house”; slogan that accompanied the various activities carried out hand in hand with the Episcopate and national environmental organizations in the Colombian capital and other municipalities. For the official launch of the 17th version of the campaign Reconcile with Nature, he had the support of different media for dissemination. The main event like every year, was held in the Temple in Simon Bolivar Park in Bogota, with an ecological Mass and workshops for the development of alternative branches, where we provide information material of the campaign.

As founder of the initiative it is important for ProAves to support these activities and agendas made by our team of Environmental Education in different parts of Colombia. This year, the campaign focused on seven municipalities: Génova, Roncesvalles, Cajamarca, San Vicente De Chucurí, Minca in Santa Marta, Jardin and Mapiripán; neighboring nature reserves of the Foundation. Some of them, vital to threatened species such as the Yellow-eared Parrot and the Wax Palm, are symbols of this campaign, which through various efforts have recovered their population areas; but constant support is needed from institutions and communities working together to preserve and to continue to save the biodiversity of our country.

Similarly, and in Bogota, ProAves participated actively in supporting actions and dissemination of the Campaign for the Protection of Wild Palms “Because life is sacred, Reconcile with Nature”, which were led by the Department of Environment and institutions and entities such as Bogota Metropolitan Police: Group of Environmental and Ecological Protection (GUPAE) Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca (CAR), Diocese Urban and Vicarías Bishops of the Archdiocese of Bogota, Mesa Ecoteológica District Capital, Bogota Botanical Garden “José Celestino Mutis “Transport Terminal Bogota SA and JardinerosLtda.

In the capital, the actions focused on prevention strategies, reporting, control and surveillance of the marketing of wild flora and fauna. Unfortunately, however, and according to figures provided by the Department of Environment of Bogota in its final report of the 2016 campaign in the city a total of 122 bags of wild palm (67 more than in 2015) were recovered; Likewise and according to them, this increase was due because “this tradition is still continued by the community, making it difficult to eradicate illegal marketing because of the demand for bouquets made with foliage of wild palms, this trend will continue“, making the implementation of environmental education strategies in Bogota and its surroundings a proirity.

The activities are especially geared for Palm Sunday (March 20) some of which were highlighted: radio programs with dynamic campaigns and environmental messages, preparing pots ofrecycled plastic for planting native plants, film forums and support in the procession of Palm Sunday.

To sum up, during the day 4.200 alternative bouquets between bouquets of Amero cob, corn, Iraca and live plants grown in nurseries were delivered, each with an allusive message to environmental groups to demand the protection of fauna and flora threatened in these annual celebrations in our country such as: the Wax Palm, theWine Palm, theYellow-eared parrot, the Icotea turtle, the green iguana among others. Similarly, 1,000 posters of the campaign where the actors involved in this process of preservation (which we have led for 17 years in the country) were thanked for their support and outreach; as well as mentioned by Monsignor Alirio Lopez at a press conference on 9th March at the Bogota Ecoteological Interfaith table, at the premises of the District Department of Environment: “Let us not be complicit in the destruction of our ecosystems, let’s care about biodiversity and make a pact to preserve and respect life in the Reconcile Campaign. “

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With the aim of strengthening the conservation work being done in the Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve, located in one of the most biodiverse areas in the country, La Serranía de los Yariguíes, ProAves has promoted inter-institutional spaces for the purpose of defining partnerships to ensure the integrity of protected areas through the prevention and reduction of environmental pressures, the support of institutions and community participation.

For this, during two days in June at the Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve, located in San Vicente de Chucurí (Santander) was held with members of National Parks and ProAves, a meeting sought as a first step, socializing labor and effort conservation by both entities in the municipality of San Vicente de Chucurí, Santander and from this feedback, define several commitments of working together for the conservation of this important area.

On the other hand, spaces for socialization together with the community were sought to publicize the work of each entity and to seek community partnerships so that conservation work becomes a work investment for the whole community.

In the same month and under the same goal of interagency coordination, the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros summoned the coffee growers from the villages in the area of the park’s influence together with ProAves to a socialization of the Rainforest Alliance that enhanced the work of our coffee trees as a crop model of the area. This meeting brought together 53 coffee growers who knew about the work done by ProAves over five years, through its strategic line of self-sustainability, in a more environment friendly and socially equitable production.

The workshop was held in the conference hall at the headquarters of the Nature Reserve Reinita Cielo Azul, the interior of the plantation also was visited to see the type of tree cover used by ProAves.

ProAves currently has over 30 species of trees used not only as a cover for coffee production, but they are also important to conserve the habitat of the species of native and migratory birds, and visitors were able to see how their coffee crops can also become a vital tool for the conservation of our biodiversity

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In recent months we found 7 artificial nests occupied by two species of parrots, the Yellow-eared parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis) and the Rusty-faced parrot (Hapalopsittaca amazonina) in two ProAves Reserves. During this time we made ​​visual observations, documented their reproductive behavior consolidating a database, updated and refined monthly.

The census of the population of the Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis) took place in the Yellow-eared parrot Bird Reserve located in the municipality of Jardín, Antioquia, where, with the help of the community and the reserve’s warden, the counting of individuals, the location  of  nests and strategic viewpoints was performed.

Until March, the Yellow-eared parrot used four artificial nests located in the reserve and through visual observations the reproductive behavior of the species was documented. Partial results indicate that parents leave the nesting area between 6:00 and 6:30 am in direction of foraging areas; they return to the nest between 10:00 and 10:30 am, and sometimes perch in palms near the nest; it has been observed that an individual will perch on the nest, while the other sits in another palm (apparently behavior to monitor the area) then one of them enters and in about 5 minutes feeds the chicks. When their parents are not around, the chicks do not make any sounds.

During the first half of 2015, we noticed slight fluctuations of the population. For the month of January we recorded a greater presence with 220 individuals, but in subsequent months there was a slight decrease: January 180 individuals, 130 individuals in March and April 150 individuals. Some variations in the frequency of use of the main nests, correspond to the presence of reproductive events and the supply of food in remote sites from the reproductive nucleus.

The census of the population of the Rusty-faced parrot (Hapalopsittaca amazonina) were made ​​during March, April and May we found three of the artificial nests in the Dusky Starfrontlet Bird Reserve occupied, two of the nests are located on former pastureland in the process of natural regeneration and the third in the forest very close to the other two; according to the monitoring, each nest was occupied by three chicks.

The monitoring of these species in the reserve and the installation of artificial nests are just some of the strategies being conducted by ProAves in order to avoid the extinction of the Yellow-eared Parrot and the Rusty-faced Parrot and help out with the low amount of natural nesting sites.

With the support of