In the context of a megadiverse country like Colombia, ecological restoration emerges as a critical need and a unique opportunity to recover, preserve, and protect its extraordinary biodiversity. Colombia harbors a great wealth of ecosystems ranging from the Amazon rainforest to high-altitude páramos, passing through its Caribbean and Pacific coasts, as well as its tropical dry and humid forests. However, this unique biodiversity faces significant challenges due to deforestation, soil degradation, and other environmental impacts associated with human development and climate change.
In this sense, the declaration of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) takes on even greater importance for Colombia, as it offers the opportunity to recover and protect habitats critical for Colombian flora and fauna, while also contributing to mitigating climate change, maintaining ecosystem services, and improving the quality of life for local communities dependent on these natural resources. Each area assisted in ecological restoration and under continuous monitoring represents a step towards the recovery and conservation of biological and cultural diversity, thus ensuring a sustainable future for future generations.
Taking into account these criteria, the Ecosistemas Secos de Colombia Foundation has planned and executed ecological restoration projects in the tropical dry forest alongside allied organizations in over 1,200 hectares in the heart of the Montes de María in the southern part of the Bolívar department, and in nearly 400 hectares in the municipality of Piojó in the Atlántico department. These processes have been developed under a socio-ecological restoration approach, which has allowed us to gain experience in the following areas:
- Design of participatory ecological restoration plans.
- Construction of participatory monitoring plans for restoration actions.
- Characterization of the reference ecosystem.
- Identification of potential areas for ecological restoration.
- Establishment and implementation of community greenhouses for the propagation of native species of the tropical dry forest.
- Design and implementation of ecological connectivity corridors.
- Development of workshops on ecological restoration and participatory governance for territorial planning focused on the recovery of ecosystem services.
