https://colombia.wcs.org RSS feeds for WCS Colombia 60 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26088/In-the-Amazon-equity-is-also-being-cultivated.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=26088 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=26088&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26088/In-the-Amazon-equity-is-also-being-cultivated.aspx In Guaviare, Caquetá, and Putumayo, associations of cacao producers, stingless beekeepers, and harvesters of non-timber forest products are empowering more women and young people to recognize their rights, generate income, and lead economic initiatives. This important effort stands in contrast to the patriarchal model that has historically shaped the region.   zrios@wcs.org Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:26088 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26021/Restoring-to-Recover-the-Upper-Saldana-River-Basin.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=26021 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=26021&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26021/Restoring-to-Recover-the-Upper-Saldana-River-Basin.aspx After years of deforestation and land-use practices that degraded forests and water sources, researchers and rural communities are working to restore the ecosystems of this region. They are doing so through the establishment of conservation agreements, restoring forests, and promoting productive activities that aim to balance environmental health with local livelihoods. zrios@wcs.org Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:03:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:26021 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26003/WCS-Backs-Urgent-Protections-for-Giant-Otter-at-Wildlife-Summit-in-Brazil.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=26003 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=26003&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26003/WCS-Backs-Urgent-Protections-for-Giant-Otter-at-Wildlife-Summit-in-Brazil.aspx The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is supporting a proposal to secure for this endangered species the highest level of protection under CMS while strengthening international cooperation across its range in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Pantanal river basins. Proposal 30.2.3 would list the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) on both Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), as governments prepare to convene for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP15) in Campo Grande, Brazil, from March 23–29. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:32:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:26003 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25935/Parks-Rangers-Gather-from-Six-Countries-to-Strengthen-Skills-to-Protect-the-Amazon.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=25935 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=25935&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25935/Parks-Rangers-Gather-from-Six-Countries-to-Strengthen-Skills-to-Protect-the-Amazon.aspx More than 30 park rangers from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname gathered in Lima to complete the final training and evaluation of the World Bank–led Amazon Sustainable Landscapes (ASL) Regional Park Rangers project. The innovative initiative seeks to strengthen skills to better equip rangers to respond to the complex and evolving challenges they face on the ground. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:35:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:25935 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25909/Stephen-Ham-Named-Senior-Vice-President-and-Chief-Development-Officer-of-the-Wildlife-Conservation-Society.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=25909 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=25909&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25909/Stephen-Ham-Named-Senior-Vice-President-and-Chief-Development-Officer-of-the-Wildlife-Conservation-Society.aspx The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has announced the appointment of Stephen L. Ham as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, effective March 1, 2026. A highly collaborative senior executive with more than 20 years of experience leading global philanthropy strategies, Ham will oversee WCS’s comprehensive fundraising efforts, advancing the organization’s mission to save wildlife and wild places worldwide. He currently serves as WCS’s Vice President of Individual Giving. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:57:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:25909 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25697/Landmark-decisions-at-CITES-CoP20-deliver-historic-safeguards-for-species-many-threatened-by-the-global-pet-trade.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=25697 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=25697&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25697/Landmark-decisions-at-CITES-CoP20-deliver-historic-safeguards-for-species-many-threatened-by-the-global-pet-trade.aspx As the 20th meeting of the  CITES CoP20 concluded, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) welcomed a series of landmark decisions that will strengthen trade regulations for threatened species—including many heavily targeted by the global pet trade—while also warning that several decisions could jeopardize hard-won conservation gains.   WCS delegates from across the globe brought decades of scientific and policy expertise to Samarkand, working to ensure that Party decisions were grounded in rigorous, evidence-based conservation science. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 05 Dec 2025 16:28:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:25697 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25417/Students-Adopt-Threatened-Trees.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=25417 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=25417&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25417/Students-Adopt-Threatened-Trees.aspx Children taking part in this initiative study in several rural schools across the Department of Tolima, nestled in Colombia’s Central Andes. In addition to helping care for species facing different levels of threat, this enthusiastic group of young collaborators is also seizing the opportunity to learn about the importance of wildlife and how to protect it. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:15:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:25417 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25391/Environmental-organizations-warn-of-deforestation-in-the-Amazon-every-minute-an-area-of-forest-equivalent-to-six-football-fields-is-lost.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=25391 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=25391&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25391/Environmental-organizations-warn-of-deforestation-in-the-Amazon-every-minute-an-area-of-forest-equivalent-to-six-football-fields-is-lost.aspx The Amazon is dangerously close to its tipping point. Every minute, an area of rainforest equivalent to six football / soccer fields is deforested, according to an estimate by WWF using data from MapBiomas. Amid this socio-environmental crisis, a group of environmental and scientific organizations have joined forces in an unprecedented alliance to create Amazon League, a global campaign that seeks to mobilize civil society and present a joint petition at COP30, demanding concrete actions to stop the collapse of the Amazon and protect the planet's other tropical forests. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 21 Oct 2025 21:33:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:25391 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25310/The-Upper-Saldana-River-Basin-and-Its-Voluntary-Conservation-Agreements.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=25310 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=25310&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25310/The-Upper-Saldana-River-Basin-and-Its-Voluntary-Conservation-Agreements.aspx Caring for the land also helps boosts agricultural productivity — and in this effort, voluntary conservation agreements play a key role. Across the Central Andes in Tolima, an increasing number of cattle ranchers and coffee growers are signing these agreements to protect forests and freshwater ecosystems. So, how does this good-faith mechanism actually work? zrios@wcs.org Wed, 08 Oct 2025 08:40:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:25310 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25080/Guardians-by-Choice-Civil-Society-Nature-Reserves.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=25080 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=25080&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25080/Guardians-by-Choice-Civil-Society-Nature-Reserves.aspx A group of landowners in southern Tolima is showing that citizens, too, can be conservationists. By turning their properties into Civil Society Nature Reserves, they are committing to the protection of forests, rivers, and unique species, while also adopting practices that are more environmentally friendly. Discover their stories and how, from their own land, they are changing the future of Colombia’s biodiversity. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 20 Aug 2025 17:55:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:25080 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24625/WCS-Leads-International-Workshop-on-Ex-Situ-Management-of-Wildlife-from-Illegal-Trafficking.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=24625 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=24625&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24625/WCS-Leads-International-Workshop-on-Ex-Situ-Management-of-Wildlife-from-Illegal-Trafficking.aspx For three days, more than 70 professionals and technicians from Colombian environmental authorities, representatives from wildlife rescue centers, and experts in the care of animals rescued from illegal trafficking are coming together to share experiences and strengthen their capacities in the care and rehabilitation of confiscated wildlife. zrios@wcs.org Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:05:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:24625 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24550/A-rural-dialogue-on-conservation-and-production.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=24550 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=24550&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24550/A-rural-dialogue-on-conservation-and-production.aspx From Chaparral and Planadas, in the department of Tolima, a group of farmers traveled to the municipality of El Águila, in the north of Valle del Cauca, to exchange ideas on both topics. The meeting was inspired by two successful conservation initiatives. What motivated this gathering? What were its main takeaways? zrios@wcs.org Wed, 14 May 2025 17:32:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:24550 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24552/The-endangered-Quindio-wax-palm-and-its-conservation-in-Roncesvalles.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=24552 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=24552&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24552/The-endangered-Quindio-wax-palm-and-its-conservation-in-Roncesvalles.aspx In this municipality in the southwest of Tolima, and with the support of the local communities, work has been underway to plant, in the next two years, close to two thousand individuals of this species. This important commitment includes research on methods to optimize seed germination in shorter periods of time. The main objective, ultimately, is to add to the survival of Colombia's national tree in these Andean areas. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 08 Apr 2025 19:43:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:24552 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24551/The-Saldana-river-history-of-a-basin-of-life.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=24551 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=24551&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/24551/The-Saldana-river-history-of-a-basin-of-life.aspx The Saldaña River, the main tributary of the Magdalena River in the Department of Tolima, is the focus of a conservation strategy being implemented in the upper part of this remarkable watershed. Representatives from the partner institutions leading the effort share their experiences, challenges, and achievements. The work is concentrated in three sub-watersheds of the Central Andes, in the south of Tolima. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:59:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:24551 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17265/AN-ENTIRE-COMMUNITY-CARING-FOR-THE-GIANT-SOUTH-AMERICAN-RIVER-TURTLE.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=17265 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=17265&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17265/AN-ENTIRE-COMMUNITY-CARING-FOR-THE-GIANT-SOUTH-AMERICAN-RIVER-TURTLE.aspx This year, an entire community that voluntarily decided to participate in the protection of the Giant South-American river turtle, a critically endangered species, will be present during its nesting season. This process, which has been overseen by Proyecto Vida Silvestre for seven years, now has a new perspective: the empowerment of the community of the Santa María de la Virgen village, making this task progressively more autonomous and sustainable. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:15:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:17265 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17266/CONCERTED-ACTIONS-FOR-CONSERVATION-VOLUNTARY-AGREEMENTS-FOR-THE-ENVIRONMENT.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=17266 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=17266&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17266/CONCERTED-ACTIONS-FOR-CONSERVATION-VOLUNTARY-AGREEMENTS-FOR-THE-ENVIRONMENT.aspx The purpose of 33 conservation agreements signed with an equal number of peasant families in Colombia’s Central Range is to make certain habitual production activities of rural life more eco-friendly, especially with the water resources of this Andean region. What does this conservation strategy consist of? We invite you to read this story. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:12:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:17266 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17267/NEW-WEBSITE-WITH-CRUCIAL-INFORMATION-ON-THE-COMBAT-AGAINST-WILDLIFE-AND-TIMBER-TRAFFICKING-IN-ANDEAN-AMAZONIAN-COUNTRIES.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=17267 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=17267&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17267/NEW-WEBSITE-WITH-CRUCIAL-INFORMATION-ON-THE-COMBAT-AGAINST-WILDLIFE-AND-TIMBER-TRAFFICKING-IN-ANDEAN-AMAZONIAN-COUNTRIES.aspx The Alliance for Wildlife and Forests developed a website that includes activities, progress and results in the combat against wildlife and timber trafficking in Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia and Brazil. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:10:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:17267 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17241/LANDSCAPE-SPECIES-FIRST-LINK-FOR-BIODIVERSITY-CONSERVATION.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=17241 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=17241&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17241/LANDSCAPE-SPECIES-FIRST-LINK-FOR-BIODIVERSITY-CONSERVATION.aspx An article published in the magazine of the Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (Academy of Physics, Exact and Natural Sciences), based on the experience of Proyecto Vida Silvestre (PVS) (Project Wildlife), concludes that conservation work with a certain group of important species redounds in the welfare of others. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:17241 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16303/IN-TOLIMA-THE-WATER-OF-THREE-RIVERS-IS-MONITORED-TO-PRESERVE-LIFE.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=16303 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=16303&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16303/IN-TOLIMA-THE-WATER-OF-THREE-RIVERS-IS-MONITORED-TO-PRESERVE-LIFE.aspx The project 'Rio Saldaña – Una cuenca de vida' monitors the quality of this vital resource in the Siquila, Amoyá y Cucuana Rivers, to identify the pressures affecting it, take corrective action to strengthen its care and teach communities to preserve it. zrios@wcs.org Thu, 24 Jun 2021 20:18:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:16303 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16302/THE-PRESENCE-IN-COLOMBIA-OF-A-STINGRAY-ONLY-REPORTED-FOR-CENTRAL-AMERICA-IS-CONFIRMED.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=16302 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=16302&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16302/THE-PRESENCE-IN-COLOMBIA-OF-A-STINGRAY-ONLY-REPORTED-FOR-CENTRAL-AMERICA-IS-CONFIRMED.aspx This species (Styracura pacifica) had always been reported in Central America, but a study of the Fundación MarViva, Fundación Squalus and WCS shows that its distribution is wider because it includes the Colombian Pacific and possibly Ecuador. zrios@wcs.org Thu, 24 Jun 2021 20:09:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:16302 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16301/THE-EXTRACTION-OF-ANIMALS-FROM-THEIR-HABITATS-WILDLIFE-TRAFFICKING-IMPAIRS-HEALTH-OF-ESSENTIAL-ECOSYSTEMS.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=16301 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=16301&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16301/THE-EXTRACTION-OF-ANIMALS-FROM-THEIR-HABITATS-WILDLIFE-TRAFFICKING-IMPAIRS-HEALTH-OF-ESSENTIAL-ECOSYSTEMS.aspx Pest and disease control, seed dispersal, pollination and hundreds of food chains are some of the affected processes when native animals are extracted from their habitats to become pets or to be sold abroad. zrios@wcs.org Thu, 24 Jun 2021 20:01:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:16301 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15781/COLOMBIA-WILL-CONDUCT-THE-FIRST-CENSUS-OF-THE-ANDEAN-CONDOR.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15781 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15781&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15781/COLOMBIA-WILL-CONDUCT-THE-FIRST-CENSUS-OF-THE-ANDEAN-CONDOR.aspx The objective is to identify the greatest possible number of specimens through observers distributed in different regions of the country and to calculate an approximate number of surviving individuals in the territory. This information will be crucial in the determination of conservation actions for this symbolic species in critical danger of extinction. The Andean condor is inherent to Colombia. It is not only a symbol on its national coat of arms; it is also imbedded in the culture of some of its most important indigenous people, who consider it a superior being. For instance, the Nasa indigenous community say that “he is the grandfather who watches from above and regulates energies. He becomes angry when people do not act well in the territory”, explains the tradition of this ethnic group. But the species, distributed from Venezuela to Argentina, is decimated in our country and there are no longer many individuals that can appraise the status of Mother Earth.  The Andean condor is in critical danger of extinction, despite the efforts made at the end of the 80’s to recover it, among which the liberation of 69 specimens with the support of the Zoological Society of San Diego (United States). Regardless of its significance and representativity, at this moment of the XXI Century the impacts of these efforts are still highly uncertain. Twenty years ago, some scientists talked of 60 condors left in the entire national territory. Today, more optimistic surveys estimate between 90 and 130 surviving individuals, overflying the snow-capped mountains of Santa Marta and El Cocuy (Boyacá), in some paramos like Almorzadero located between Santander and Norte de Santander and in zones such as La Guajira, Cesar and Cauca. They have also been reported in the Puracé (Cauca and Huila), Tamá (Norte de Santander), Chingaza (Cundinamarca), Galeras (Nariño) and Los Nevados (Tolima, Quindío and Caldas) National Parks, among others. Bur, are they really there? Can they be seen in other places? How many really exist in our departments?    The Primer Censo Nacional del Cóndor Andino (First National Census of the Andean Condor), which will take place in the country between the 13th. and the 15th. of February, wants to answer these questions. It was organized by the Fundación Neotropical (Neotropical Foundation) with the support of Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia (National Natural Parks of Colombia), WWF, WCS and the Fundación Hidrobiológica George Dahl (George Dahl Hydrobiological Foundation). Other organizations, such as the Fundación Cóndor Andino-Ecuador (Andean Condor-Ecuador Foundation), the Corporación Autónoma de Caldas (Regional Environmental Authority of Caldas) (Corpocaldas) and the Fundación Ecológica Los Colibríes de Altaquer (Ecological Foundation The Hummingbirds of Altaquer (FELCA), slowly joined. “There is an enormous information gap. Something complex happens with the condors: due to their high mobility: the individual seen in Santander can be the same one observed in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This is why it is necessary to use the simultaneous count method with many people, at the same time, collecting information. This avoids the recount of individuals”, explains Fausto Sáenz, Fundación Neotropical researcher and one of the coordinators of the census. People of different disciplines, of age, who registered voluntarily and on-line until last December, will be in charge of reporting sightings (at the end of 2020 there were 174 people registered). The idea is for them, with support from the environmental authorities, universities and other organizations, to be able to report the greatest possible number of condors from strategic sites previously chosen based on historical records or satellite analyses and where, supposedly, established populations of Vultur gryphus, its scientific name, could exist. To assure the success of the observers, they will be organized in groups and trained and guided by several regional coordinators, to give them basic skills - such as differentiating males from females - that will enable them to identify the condors in flight and register the corresponding data on a digital platform.Vulnerable in spite of flying high It will be an invigorating task for all of them, as they most surely admire nature, because seeing a condor is an extraordinary experience, among other things, due to its magnificence.  It is one of the biggest birds in the world, typical of the paramos and the forests; it can reach a three meter wingspan and cover 300 kilometers in one day, only flapping its wings 1 percent of the time. Condors dominate the skies and although they are always distant, they are vulnerable, because their reproductive rates are extremely low. Females lay one egg every two or three years, reach their reproductive age after 8 and their chicks remain at their parents’ side more than 12 months.  And they are monogamous, that is, they have only one couple for their entire life.But in addition to this strictly natural behavior, that is not as prolific or fertile as would be wished, human pressures are a major concern: infrastructure such as power lines with which they frequently collide, decrease of safe places to eat and  nest (they prefer cliffs) and the poisoning of carrion, their preferred food.However, ironically, with their ingestion of this meat in decomposition, they reduce the probability of transmission of diseases generated by pathogenic agents that develop in what for humans is only waste and where opportunistic species or disease vectors (rodents or insects) accumulate.  “Many farmers poison the meat of sheep or cows killed by a bear, a feline or a dog, and throw it out in the field as a strategy to chase away the predator. But, indirectly, condors ingest that meat. Ten or 15 individuals can arrive to eat and they will die” says Saénz, who explains that, in addition to this indirect conflict, a direct human-condor clash also exists. There are cases in which a condor attacks a newly born calf or sheep and its owners hunt it in retaliation.  Improve re-population Saénz, who has studied the species, the focus of his PhD studies, for more than ten years, adds that it is decisive “for the census to determine where the most important wild populations are, in order to make a better re-population, a process that additionally takes into account the ratio adult males to adult females.”This is vital because, among condors, the male dominates the female and the female has a higher mortality rate due precisely to that dominance which means, among other things, less access to food. “Therefore, if a process of re-introduction releases many males in determined zones, the females are going to suffer more. In this connection, the census will let us know what to do to avoid an unbalance between individuals”, adds the expert. Due to all the above and in order to safeguard its existence, it is necessary to know exactly where this iconic bird lives, where its most important populations are and, with the support of the community, to direct the main actions towards those coordinates to protect it. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 03 Feb 2021 15:10:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15781 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15782/MORE-THAN-HALF-OF-THE-WORLDS-FORESTS-HAVE-THEIR-INTEGRITY-AFFECTED.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15782 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15782&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15782/MORE-THAN-HALF-OF-THE-WORLDS-FORESTS-HAVE-THEIR-INTEGRITY-AFFECTED.aspx 60% of the planet’s forest coverage, survival of deforestation, has been impacted or transformed, highly or moderately, by man. The research led by WCS and recently published by Nature, appeals for a restraint of these modifications in the forest environment, if we want to prevent future pandemics or mitigate climate change. Talking of forests, often the concern is focused on the influence of deforestation on them. And it is quite frequently normal to measure what is destroyed, but almost never what remains. A research recently published by the prestigious magazine Nature Communications changes that approach, because it focused on analysis, what its authors define as Ecosystem Integrity Index or Forest Landscape Integrity Index (FLII) that refers to and shows the status of the forests that still survive in the world. The study was carried out by close to 50 international experts working for organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the University of Arizona, the Rainforest Foundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the University of Queensland. All were led by WCS and its Director of Conservation Planning, Hedley Grantham. Cristián Samper, Executive Director of the organization and .Padú Franco, WCS Director for the Andes, Orinoquia and Amazonía, participated. The participants, based on this index, were able to establish that 40 percent of the planet`s forest coverage has a good status of ecological integrity. The rest (60%) is highly impacted (it has from medium to low integrity). Of this 40 percent, only 27 percent is legally protected or covered by designations that offer protection and could guarantee a future without damage. The biogeographic Amazonia and Chocó The forests with a high Ecosystem Integrity Index or with reduced impacts, in accordance with this research, are located mainly in Canada, Russia, Central Africa (Congo and Gabon, Sudan, Angola and Mozambique) and New Guinea, Sumatra, Borneo and Myanmar. In South America there are positive results in the Amazon biome that covers Guyana, French Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Perú, Venezuela and Ecuador. There are also conserved glades in the south of Chile as well as in some places of Central America. “The Amazon biome contains, without a doubt, part of the most unaltered forests of the planet. Their conservation is imperative if we want the world to overcome the big crises it faces today: climate, biodiversity and health. The region’s governments and civil society must do everything in their power to maintain them unaltered”, explains Padú Franco. Padú adds that the same responsibility that must be had with the Amazon rainforest should include, for the case of Colombia, the Biogeographic Chocó and other important forest remnants in good condition located in the Andes and the Caribbean (more details in the following link). This means that they are still free of alterations caused by infrastructure construction, selective logging, inadequate forest management and advance of agriculture or the presence of invasive or non-native species and maintain connectivity at ecologically relevant scales. They also maintain high levels of biodiversity, render high quality ecosystem services and are more resistant to climate change. Researchers say that, as more of these natural landscapes exist, humanity will have better tools to capture and store carbon, halt the impacts of climate change, sustain a biological diversity, have drinking water for more people, guarantee the rights of indigenous, afro and peasant communities and prevent future pandemics. Realistic goals and fixed deadlines Consequently, one of the objectives of the study is to advise decision-makers of the importance of an identification of the areas that should be protected taking into account if they could face greater risks of being impacted. “Preventing degradation or the loss of integrity is a better strategy than trying to restore forests after they suffer damage, because restoration is more expensive, has a risk of failure and the probability of a full recovery of the benefits is low”, states the document literally. In general, besides logging, fires and trafficking of species are causes that have reduced the integrity of the forest coverage, although experts admit that the level of impacts in the remaining forests of the Earth could be even worse than what the findings suggest. They also explain that the overexploitation of animals and plants of high socioeconomic value can vary considerably in different countries and regions, due to complex social, cultural, economic and governance factors, for instance, that are difficult to model spatially. These conclusions arise precisely when the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has demanded concrete actions to halt ecological devastation and revert environmental degradation, the massive extinction of species and the destruction of ecosystems that sustain life. It is urgent, therefore, to define how measures to prevent the loss of biodiversity and guide the world on the path towards a sustainable development, are going to be planned and implemented. “Consequently, Governments have to adopt policies and strategies to retain and restore the ecological integrity of some of their main ecosystems, ensuring at the same time economically viable, socially equitable and politically acceptable solutions in complex and very diverse local contexts”, concludes the publication. “We urgently need measurable, achievable and realistic objectives, with fixed deadlines, to maintain and restore forest integrity, with goals directly incorporated to the highest level objectives in biological diversity, climate, land degradation and sustainable development”, adds the report. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 03 Feb 2021 14:10:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15782 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15784/THIS-IS-HOW-WE-RESTORE-A-PARAMO.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15784 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15784&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15784/THIS-IS-HOW-WE-RESTORE-A-PARAMO.aspx The Humboldt Institute, the Regional Environmental Authority of Risaralda (Carder), WCS and National Natural Parks of Colombia, with the support of the European Union, edited a document that embraces the main conclusions of a rehabilitation process of a section of Los Nevados National Park; it can now be replicated in any region of the country. Colombia has half of the existing páramos of the world that provide drinking water for 70 percent of its population. The country, with 36 páramo complexes, is a privileged territory. These natural sceneries, located between the Andean forest and the glaciers, take advantage of rain and fog to supply huge water flows, such as the Magdalena, Cauca, Meta or Patía. What they represent for the nation is invaluable and their care should, therefore, be a priority. The document Restauración de Páramos. Una experiencia en la Cordillera Central de  Colombia (Páramo Restoration. An experience in the Central Andes Range of Colombia) was born as a contribution to this need to preserve them. It describes the restoration work of 258 hectares of this ecosystem in the Los Nevados National Natural Park, near the Laguna del Mosquito (in the rural settlement of El Bosque), a historically touristic site connected with the Laguna del Otún. This document was part of the Project Páramos: Biodiversidad y Recursos Hídricos en los Andes del Norte (Páramos: Biodiversity and Hydric Resources in the Northern Andes) (known as Project Páramos), initiative with the participation of the Regional Environmental Authority of Risaralda (Carder), the Humboldt Institute, WCS Colombia and National Natural Parks of Colombia and financed by the European Union.   These five organizations endorsed and contributed to the publication of the document, described by Germán Forero-Medina, Science Director of WCS Colombia “as a document that will hopefully be considered an additional contribution to the earnest call of different local, regional and national institutions for the conservation of the Andean páramos”. This, among other things, because it includes recommendations of planting methods and special species and a group of indicators for the success evaluation of a rehabilitation process. Invasive species and stockbreeding The manual is addressed to and written for all types of public. A biologist or an ecologist can understand it, but its language is not incomprehensible for someone without environmental formation. “We decided to include guidelines of what should be done during a restoration process. Consequently, it is useful as a model or an example to recover páramos in other regions when threats are stockbreeding and invasive species”, explains Lina Caro, Protected Areas Management Coordinator at WCS-Colombia. She says that the objective of the document is its usefulness as an academic work of reference for Mayors’ Offices and other public institutions. It has no more than 100 pages and includes large-scale photographs that mainly show the typical vegetation of this strategic ecosystem with the main function of retaining, capturing, storing and supplying drinking water. It was divided into four chapters, but perhaps the two most sensitive ones are those including the details of the restoration design, but without forgetting the context in which it is developed. Committed families Water for more than two million people living in Caldas, Quindío, Risaralda and Tolima comes from Los Nevados National Park. Additionally, this same hydric resource contributes to the agricultural development of coffee, rice and cotton plantations in the Central Andes Range of Colombia.   It must be kept in mind that when this protected area was created, some 60 families lived there. After the declaration, most of them sold their farms. There are now 14 families with titles over 2000 hectares, mostly lands affected by an inadequate livestock management; cattle have moved out of this area and now occupy 7000 hectares, even land bought in recent years by government institutions, in an effort to isolate it from these pressures. In this connection, the document describes how agreements were reached with the inhabitants, who accepted that part of the land they were using should not be destined for the breeding of cattle or other animals, an activity rooted in ‘El Mosquito’ and its surroundings for the last 40 years that has favored the establishment of exotic or invasive species. Intentional fires are another pressure; in 2006 they originated a huge fire that affected 2400 hectares of páramo. The text clearly indicates that in order to give life to and rehabilitate an affected area, it is necessary to define fences and boundaries and agree on isolations to avoid the presence of animals in the chosen areas. The document also mentions a space of passive regeneration, where nature will act and, in time, make the necessary repairs Another 258 hectare zone was intervened with the planting of 9000 native plants, with natural distribution in the altitudinal range of the area of work, many of them prolific, with good recovery and regeneration capacity and with potential to colonize open or intervened spaces, among other characteristics. Some were reproduced in nurseries before being planted, but others were planted directly in the chosen spot. The document has images and a description of each plant, including Espeletia hartwegiana, Lupinus tolimensis, Baccharis tricuneata, Hypericum laricifolium, Calamagrostris effusa, Senecio rhizocephalus, Calamagrostis recta, Diplostephium schultzii, Hypericum juniperinum, Polylepis sericea and Diplostephium floribundum. The document concludes with some results of the work done, even though the process is not yet finalized. A strict monitoring operation now follows, as there are already indications of a reduction of invasive plants and the stockbreeding activity that affected the area and a much more stable commitment of the communities with environmental recovery. The medium-term objective is for the intervened sector to look very similar to its original appearance. And to be the guide, as an indisputable example, to be replicated, partially or totally, in any region of the country. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:10:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15784 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15785/URRAS-DOES-NOT-STOP-REHABILITATING-TRAFFICKED-ANIMALS.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15785 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15785&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15785/URRAS-DOES-NOT-STOP-REHABILITATING-TRAFFICKED-ANIMALS.aspx Primates, birds, reptiles and other individuals of wild and exotic fauna, victims of wildlife trafficking and other events such as accidents, rescues or migration, have one of their last opportunities of survival in the Unidad de Rescate y Rehabilitación de Animales Silvestres URRAS (Unit of Rescue and Rehabilitation of Wild Animals), in its headquarters of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (National University of Colombia). More than 100 individuals arrive there each month, many with few possibilities of returning to their habitats. Spending a few hours at the Unidad de Rescate y Rehabilitación de Animales Silvestres (Unit of Rescue and Rehabilitation of Wild Animals) dozens of stories can be heard and these are not nice stories or stories that leave a teaching. On the opposite, these are unbelievable stories that confirm the damage that wildlife trafficking causes to species. Some of them are told by Miguel Nova. “A few months ago, we received a primate, a white-faced capuchin (Cebus sp) that was kept as a pet, infested with fleas. And it did not have fangs; these were pulled out with pliers, a usual practice in the rural zones when someone wants to keep this type of animal as a pet.” This monkey is still in URRAS, in rehabilitation process and, as Nova explains, it will not return to its habitat given that, having been a pet is an impediment for its return and integration with others of its species. He also mentions the case of a tyrant hawk-eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus) which, as it was calculated, could have been in captivity by around six years.  It arrived in March of last year, wounded by a shot. “This is a difficult case and with an ending that we would not want for any species. For now, it is still in rehabilitation but, due to its injuries, it will not be possible to return it to its habitat”, he explains. He remembers that this bird was one of five that arrived in only one week, all with firearm wounds. Nova, veterinarian of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, who works with URRAS, says that he and his fellow workers are doing their best to be able to return each mistreated individual they receive to its habitat. It is a battle against adversity in which absolutely everything possible is done to save each life. “We try everything, the university has all that is necessary, but we also accept reality when we know that an animal will not make it.” 19,000 animals in 25 yearsURRAS, which is part of the Faculty of Veterinarian Medicine of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, was created in the first years of the 90s, with a noble objective: to help wild birds, including their nests and chicks, which became defenseless due to the construction of civil engineering and infrastructure duties in the city that involved the felling of trees. This was its first service and it continues being one of its financial funds received from construction firms and joint ventures that send these animals to URRAS. With time and the increase of wildlife trafficking, it began to receive other species. Its scope of action broadened and even expanded to the formation of veterinarian students in rehabilitation activities, a calling that implies dedication and persistence. URRAS is not an isolated entity. It operates with authorization of the Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente SDA (Environmental Authority of Bogotá), supporting this organization in the reception and rehabilitation of wildlife species. Currently, it also works through an agreement with Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca, CAR (Regional Environmental Authority of Cundinamarca), for the care, assessment and rehabilitation of animals that require veterinarian service of high complexity.This is another of its financial sources. Disguised doctors In URRAS, a day of work can begin at six in the morning or even earlier and can last for more than 12 continuous hours, during which the individuals are taken care of, are fed and, with luck, after very long processes that can last months or years, are released. Emergency surgeries, when they are required, and neonatal stimulation are also performed, all with the objective of preparing them for their return to liberty. And there have been days when zootechnicians, biologists and veterinarians have had to disguise themselves to avoid attachment of the animals with humans. “Here we become their parents if it is necessary and for us the emotional burden is very strong when, after so much effort, the wounds of their captivity or capture prevent their return to their habitat or even their survival”, says Luisa Correa, another veterinarian of the rescue center. Since its creation, URRAS has received some 19,000 individuals. Between four and six arrive daily, mainly mammals, reptiles and birds, more than 100 in a month. . However, during migration seasons, up to 50 animals can arrive in only 24 hours. Currently, the Unit shelters approximately 130 wild animals, all in recovery process, which implies very high costs, depending mainly on the condition of each individual. In the case of animals that require surgeries, specialized tests, and an adequate diet, the recovery of only one individual can cost between 3 and 10 million pesos (1000 and 3000 USD). These costs are covered with the above mentioned funds from the construction companies and the CAR, plus what the Universidad Nacional de Colombia allots from its budget. “The work of the different wildlife rehabilitation centers is vital, not only due to its contribution to the care and recovery of biodiversity, but because it is a thermometer that, in a certain way, measures the intensity of the wildlife trafficking situation”, explains Luz Dary Acevedo, coordinator in WCS Colombia of the Combating Wildlife Trafficking Program, funded by the European Union and the United States Government that works to reduce the impact of this problematic. . URRAS does not stop, because the irregular purchase and sale of fauna and flora do not stop either, as Carlos Moreno, its coordinator, says. He insists that this is a crime against wildlife that is nourished from the lack of conscience of the people that want to have wild and exotic animals as pets and the traffickers. He informed that, in order to continue contributing to the rehabilitation and protection of the species, especially those that are victims of wildlife trafficking, the Faculty of Veterinarian Medicine of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia is initiating a technical and engineering project that includes the design of a new clinic for wild animals, which will have a highly refined recovery and release component. “And we are progressing with this effort because, regretfully, we do not see a tendency towards a decrease in wildlife trafficking, regardless of the actions of environmental authorities and education programs.  We know we are facing an increasing challenge.” zrios@wcs.org Wed, 03 Feb 2021 12:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15785 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15558/CANINE-BINOMIALS-HEROES-THAT-CURB-ILLEGAL-TRAFFIC.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15558 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15558&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15558/CANINE-BINOMIALS-HEROES-THAT-CURB-ILLEGAL-TRAFFIC.aspx The work of Police patrolmen and their dogs, known as canine binomials, is decisive to curb the illegal commerce of species. One of them, for instance, found 3200 turtles that were about to be trafficked from the Leticia airport (Amazon). However, the country has very few of these detection teams, while the crime is progressively more sophisticated. zrios@wcs.org Mon, 07 Dec 2020 07:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15558 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15559/I-DREAM-OF-A-COUNTRY-WHERE-BIOECONOMY-RULES.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15559 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15559&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15559/I-DREAM-OF-A-COUNTRY-WHERE-BIOECONOMY-RULES.aspx Silvia Restrepo, Vice President for Research and Creation at Universidad de los Andes, talks about the conclusions of the document related with environment and biotechnology that she coordinated.and that formed part of the final text that the International Mission of Wise Men submitted to the Government. It is a roadmap that draws a picture of a Colombian territory that exploits its biological resources adequately. zrios@wcs.org Mon, 07 Dec 2020 06:50:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15559 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15588/31-YEARS-ROAMING-EL-COCUY.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15588 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15588&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15588/31-YEARS-ROAMING-EL-COCUY.aspx Raúl Buitrago has worked for three decades at El Cocuy National Park, one of the most attractive reserve areas in Colombia. The expeditions throughout this reserve zone fill the stories of this man, who represents the dozens of park rangers who monitor the 59 national protected areas, administrated by National Natural Parks, entity that completes this month 60 years of existence. zrios@wcs.org Mon, 07 Dec 2020 06:40:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15588 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15560/WE-ARE-GOING-TO-COLOR-MAMMALS.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15560 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15560&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15560/WE-ARE-GOING-TO-COLOR-MAMMALS.aspx Two biologists from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, designed and edited the booklet Mamíferos de Bogotá (Mammals of Bogotá) that describes 20 species of vertebrates living in the city. They seek to call attention to the importance of these animals. Among the species presented are the Andean bear, the tiger cat, the paramo tapir, the puma, the white-tailed deer and other smaller ones such as the red-tailed squirrel and the hoary bat. It is a coloring booklet. zrios@wcs.org Mon, 07 Dec 2020 06:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15560 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15048/BOGOTA-A-SPRINGBOARD-FOR-ILLEGAL-WILDLIFE-TRADE.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15048 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15048&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15048/BOGOTA-A-SPRINGBOARD-FOR-ILLEGAL-WILDLIFE-TRADE.aspx Although illegal wildlife trade in Colombia originates mostly in rural zones, large cities are not detached from this problem. Bogotá, for example, is a key location from where animals are shipped directly to foreign black markets or are traded for local destinations and uses. WCS´s Combatting Wildlife Trafficking Program stresses the importance of understanding the dynamics of illegal wildlife trade increasingly operated by organized crime. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15048 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15049/DAHLS-TOAD-HEADED-TURTLE-FINDS-ALLIES-IN-CHIMICHAGUA.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15049 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15049&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15049/DAHLS-TOAD-HEADED-TURTLE-FINDS-ALLIES-IN-CHIMICHAGUA.aspx Landowners in this town of Cesar are protecting the surroundings of the San Fernandera-Caracoli stream, one of the few places in the Atlantic Coast where the reptile still reproduces in a healthy fashion. With the support of WCS, they control livestock to prevent contamination, plant trees and avoid sand extraction and hunting. Dahl's toad-headed turtle, one of Colombia`s four endemic turtles, is in critical danger of extinction. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15049 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15050/ALLIANCE-TO-PRODUCE-WITHOUT-DEFORESTATION.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15050 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15050&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15050/ALLIANCE-TO-PRODUCE-WITHOUT-DEFORESTATION.aspx Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) is a global pact that seeks to involve companies and public-private sectors towards the elimination, in productive chains, of processes that generate deforestation. We talked with Javier Ortiz, TFA coordinator for Colombia, who informs that the country is already advancing with this purpose, through the consolidation of agreements within the palm oil, beef, dairy, cocoa and coffee sectors. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15050 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15061/SELVA-DE-FLORENCIA-RISES-UP-FOR-ITS-FROGS.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=15061 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=15061&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15061/SELVA-DE-FLORENCIA-RISES-UP-FOR-ITS-FROGS.aspx The National Natural Park Selva de Florencia, located in Caldas, is the national protected area with the highest number of threatened amphibians for its size in Colombia. Through the Strategy for the Conservation of Threatened Amphibians and to recover its populations, WCS Colombia, Corpocaldas (Regional Autonomous Corporation of Caldas) and National Natural Parks, teamed together with communities, launched a crusade to protect stream vegetation, plant native flora and control the advance of cattle. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:15061 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14924/THE-MAIN-REFUGE-OF-DUNNS-MUD-TURTLE-IS-IN-BAJO-BAUD.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14924 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14924&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14924/THE-MAIN-REFUGE-OF-DUNNS-MUD-TURTLE-IS-IN-BAJO-BAUD.aspx This is one of the four species of endemic turtles in Colombia and one of the least studied. This region of Chocó, where in 2017 the creation of a protected zone was made official, would guarantee the future of this reptile, also known as ‘cabeza de trozo’, and in vulnerable condition due precisely to its reduced distribution. WCS Colombia and Turtle Survival Alliance will soon initiate a research in this region, to monitor its populations. zrios@wcs.org Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:55:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14924 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14923/FISH-IN-THE-MAGDALENA-CAUCA-BASIN-EMIT-SOUNDS-TO-LET-FEMALES-KNOW-THAT-IT-IS-TIME-FOR-REPRODUCTION.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14923 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14923&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14923/FISH-IN-THE-MAGDALENA-CAUCA-BASIN-EMIT-SOUNDS-TO-LET-FEMALES-KNOW-THAT-IT-IS-TIME-FOR-REPRODUCTION.aspx Research in the Magdalena-Cauca basin proves that through unique calls, perceptible to the human ear, the Magdalena River prochilodus or bocachico and the moino fish (or comelón) let females know that they are ready to fertilize their ovules and ensure the birth of new fish.  The research, led through hydroacoustic systems by Silvia López Casas, PhD in biology, supports new arguments for the establishment of conservation measures for these species. zrios@wcs.org Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:47:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14923 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14922/ZOONOTIC-DISEASES-ANOTHER-SERIOUS-CONSEQUENCE-OF-WILDLIFE-TRAFFICKING.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14922 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14922&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14922/ZOONOTIC-DISEASES-ANOTHER-SERIOUS-CONSEQUENCE-OF-WILDLIFE-TRAFFICKING.aspx Besides the impact on biodiversity, wildlife trafficking increases the risk of zoonotic diseases that can be fatal and reflect the bond imbalance between humans and animals. Rabies, Psittacosis, Leishmaniasis, Leptospirosis, Brucellosis and Covid 19 are some of them. WCS Colombia is developing a program to mitigate illegal wildlife trade and, consequently, the surge of these infections which represent 75 percent of emerging diseases in humans.    zrios@wcs.org Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:12:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14922 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14921/I-CONTINUE-BELIEVING-IN-THE-POWER-OF-SCIENCE-AS-A-TRANSFORMING-FORCE.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14921 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14921&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14921/I-CONTINUE-BELIEVING-IN-THE-POWER-OF-SCIENCE-AS-A-TRANSFORMING-FORCE.aspx In September, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute celebrates the 25th anniversary of its foundation. This organization is in charge of investigating our natural resources, to contribute with their conservation and sustainable use. We talked with its Director, Hernando García, on the challenges he faces in these times of enormous pressures on paramos, forests and other strategic ecosystems. A fourth part of a century seems like a long time, but it can also be only the beginning. zrios@wcs.org Mon, 14 Sep 2020 14:46:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14921 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14757/IN-EL-TUPARRO-NATIONAL-NATURAL-PARK-RESEARCHERS-MONITOR-THE-POPULATION-STATUS-OF-GAME-ANIMALS-FROM-WHICH-INDIGENOUS-COMMUNITIES-BENEFIT.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14757 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14757&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14757/IN-EL-TUPARRO-NATIONAL-NATURAL-PARK-RESEARCHERS-MONITOR-THE-POPULATION-STATUS-OF-GAME-ANIMALS-FROM-WHICH-INDIGENOUS-COMMUNITIES-BENEFIT.aspx With the images gathered, researchers will make an analysis of the occupation of ungulates or hoofed mammals, as the tapir, to adapt environmental management measures in the protected area. The camera traps will give clues on the status of this type of fauna usually hunted, for food, by the ethnic groups that live in the protected area. zrios@wcs.org Thu, 13 Aug 2020 14:40:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14757 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14762/IT-HAS-BEEN-AN-ORGANIZED-RESTORATION-LINKED-WITH-THE-COMMUNITY-WHICH-CAN-BE-REPLICATED-IN-OTHER-COLOMBIAN-PARAMOS.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14762 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14762&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14762/IT-HAS-BEEN-AN-ORGANIZED-RESTORATION-LINKED-WITH-THE-COMMUNITY-WHICH-CAN-BE-REPLICATED-IN-OTHER-COLOMBIAN-PARAMOS.aspx Érika Nadachovsky, of the Regional Environmental Authority of Risaralda (Carder), talks of the recuperation of 258 hectares of paramo within Los Nevados National Natural Park, degraded by livestock farming, an initiative of the project ‘Proyecto Páramos Biodiversidad y Recursos Hídricos en los Andes del Norte’, financed by the European Union. Nine thousand native plants were planted, with the aim of restoring original paramo landscapes in part of the ecosystem. zrios@wcs.org Thu, 13 Aug 2020 14:10:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14762 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14756/A-RETURN-TO-THEIR-HABITATS-IS-NOT-ALWAYS-AN-OPTION-FOR-TRAFFICKED-FAUNA.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14756 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14756&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14756/A-RETURN-TO-THEIR-HABITATS-IS-NOT-ALWAYS-AN-OPTION-FOR-TRAFFICKED-FAUNA.aspx The consequences of illegal traffic in animals extracted from forests or jungles in Colombia, are usually irreversible. Few can return to their habitats, because the physical abuse they receive inhibits their capacity to feed and fend for themselves and many lose their hunting instincts when they are domesticated. It is ironic, but the recovery of their freedom becomes a challenge that few can overcome. We learned about the attempts of the Reserve La Ñupana to rehabilitate species that have suffered this calamity and its efforts to set them free in the jungles of Guaviare.  zrios@wcs.org Thu, 13 Aug 2020 14:00:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14756 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14546/THE-TURTLES-OF-THE-WORLD-ARE-IN-TROUBLE.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14546 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14546&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14546/THE-TURTLES-OF-THE-WORLD-ARE-IN-TROUBLE.aspx The scientific magazine Current Biology recently published that more than half of the planet’s 360 species of continental turtles and tortoises are in danger of extinction. After 400 thousand years of sharing space with mankind, they live their worst crisis due to illegal traffic that transforms them into pets, the use of their parts for the production of supposedly miracle drugs and the destruction of their habitats, among other threats. Germán Forero-Medina, Science Director of WCS Colombia, is coauthor of this global report and explains that in Latin America it is still possible to rescue them and prevent their disappearance. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:50:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14546 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14563/ONLY-15-PERCENT-OF-THE-MOUNTAIN-TAPIRS-HABITAT-IN-THE-COUNTRY-IS-PROTECTED.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14563 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14563&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14563/ONLY-15-PERCENT-OF-THE-MOUNTAIN-TAPIRS-HABITAT-IN-THE-COUNTRY-IS-PROTECTED.aspx Diego Lizcano, one of the Colombians that knows more about tapirs and especially Tapirus pinchaque, talks of the importance of this species that silently regenerates the vegetation of paramos and Andean forests of the country, amid deforestation processes that have it trapped and endangered zrios@wcs.org Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:40:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14563 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14562/ABANDONMENT-OF-DOMESTIC-ANIMALS-ANOTHER-THREAT-FOR-WILDLIFE.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14562 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14562&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14562/ABANDONMENT-OF-DOMESTIC-ANIMALS-ANOTHER-THREAT-FOR-WILDLIFE.aspx In Caldas, 16 foxes of the Cerdocyon thous species perished, when they contracted Canine Distemper, an infectious and contagious disease very common among canines, which was transmitted by domestic dogs that had been abandoned by their owners. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14562 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14561/FOR-THE-FUTURE-OF-SHARKS-AND-RAYS-MEASURES-TO-AVOID-ILLEGAL-FISHING-IN-THE-ARCHIPELAGO-OF-SAN-ANDRES-PROVIDENCIA-AND-SANTA-CATALINA-SHOULD-BE-MAINTAINED.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14561 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14561&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14561/FOR-THE-FUTURE-OF-SHARKS-AND-RAYS-MEASURES-TO-AVOID-ILLEGAL-FISHING-IN-THE-ARCHIPELAGO-OF-SAN-ANDRES-PROVIDENCIA-AND-SANTA-CATALINA-SHOULD-BE-MAINTAINED.aspx A study published in the Regional Studies in Marine Science journal indicates that the future of elasmobranchs in this region of the country depends largely on the fact that the authorities continue preventing the capture of these cartilaginous fish, as is done today. Giving a minimum opportunity to the extraction of these important marine animals, could put their sustainability at risk. zrios@wcs.org Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:25:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14561 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14266/BIOLOGICAL-CORRIDORS-ALSO-CONTRIBUTE-TO-THE-SURVIVAL-OF-BEES.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14266 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14266&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14266/BIOLOGICAL-CORRIDORS-ALSO-CONTRIBUTE-TO-THE-SURVIVAL-OF-BEES.aspx A research led by Catalina Gutiérrez, Country Director of WCS Colombia, proved that biological corridors, generally designed and implemented for vertebrates, also contribute to the preservation of bees, especially those that require forests to survive. Corridors provide them with food and places to build their nests and help them connect between populations. The study was conducted in the Barbas-Bremen Soil Conservation District in Quindío, Colombia. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 29 May 2020 06:46:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14266 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14269/TOLIMA-LAND-OWNERS-LEAD-A-REVOLUTION-FOR-THE-PROTECTION-OF-WATER.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14269 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14269&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14269/TOLIMA-LAND-OWNERS-LEAD-A-REVOLUTION-FOR-THE-PROTECTION-OF-WATER.aspx The communities that form part of the project ‘Río Saldaña, una cuenca de vida’, are determined to protect this vital resource with the implementation of responsible practices at their farms, such as basic sanitation, management of organic waste and ecological restoration, leading to sustainable agriculture and livestock farming. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 29 May 2020 06:29:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14269 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14267/A-HARLEQUIN-FROG-THAT-REAPPEARED-AFTER-ALMOST-TWO-DECADES-OF-ABSENCE-HAS-ITS-REFUGE-IN-CHOACHI.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14267 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14267&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14267/A-HARLEQUIN-FROG-THAT-REAPPEARED-AFTER-ALMOST-TWO-DECADES-OF-ABSENCE-HAS-ITS-REFUGE-IN-CHOACHI.aspx In Choachí (Cundinamarca) Carlos Ríos, a man of peasant origin, dedicated his farm to the conservation of Atelopus lozanoi, an endemic harlequin frog that disappeared at the beginning of the century and was rediscovered in 2016. WCS joins Parques Nacionales de Colombia to support this conservation effort with monitoring, environmental education and productive projects.   zrios@wcs.org Fri, 29 May 2020 06:20:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14267 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14274/A-GROUP-OF-SPECIALISTS-IS-UPDATING-THE-RED-LIST-OF-COLOMBIAN-PLANTS.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14274 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14274&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14274/A-GROUP-OF-SPECIALISTS-IS-UPDATING-THE-RED-LIST-OF-COLOMBIAN-PLANTS.aspx The Colombian Plant Specialist Group, led by Cristina López, biologist of Universidad de Antioquia, is working on the most updated Red List of Colombian Plants, with the purpose of implementing conservation plans. The project is endorsed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Alexander von Humboldt Institute. zrios@wcs.org Fri, 29 May 2020 06:18:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14274 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14116/THE-REDISCOVERY-OF-A-HARLEQUIN-FROG-BELIEVED-EXTINCT.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14116 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14116&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14116/THE-REDISCOVERY-OF-A-HARLEQUIN-FROG-BELIEVED-EXTINCT.aspx Biologists of Universidad del Tolima found a population of the harlequin frog Atelopus subornatus, that had not been seen in 24 years. The discovery is crucial, because the country has lost stable populations of at least 38 species of this genus. As part of its Strategy for the Conservation of Threatened Amphibians, WCS Colombia is supporting investigations to obtain population data and implement actions for its conservation zrios@wcs.org Wed, 29 Apr 2020 09:30:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14116 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14111/RESEARCHERS-INSTALL-ACOUSTIC-TRANSMITTERS-IN-SOUTH-AMERICAN-RIVER-TURTLES-TO-MONITOR-THEIR-MOVEMENTS-IN-THE-META-RIVER.aspx#Comments 0 https://colombia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5759&ModuleID=11330&ArticleID=14111 https://colombia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14111&PortalID=113&TabID=5759 https://colombia.wcs.org/es-es/WCS-Colombia/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14111/RESEARCHERS-INSTALL-ACOUSTIC-TRANSMITTERS-IN-SOUTH-AMERICAN-RIVER-TURTLES-TO-MONITOR-THEIR-MOVEMENTS-IN-THE-META-RIVER.aspx Between Vichada and Arauca, one of the most important regions in the country for the reproduction of this species, WCS Colombia installed transmitters to a group of turtles to investigate their behavior and their movements along the Meta River.  Depending on the results, the application of more precise conservation strategies to help restrain the extinction of the reptile will be possible. zrios@wcs.org Wed, 29 Apr 2020 09:29:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14111