Public-private partnership for the main tributary of the Magdalena River in Tolima.

National Parks of Colombia, Cementos Argos, and WCS Colombia finalized the agreement that hopes to mitigate threats affecting the supply of environmental resources related to the upper reaches of the Saldaña river, initially prioritizing the subbasins of Siquila and Cambrin.

With close to 5000 million pesos invested in this project, called “Saldaña River, A Basin of Life,” efforts are made to work on prevention, protection, and restoration of this vital resource, from community involvement in implementing management actions and linking various groups interested in the conservation of this important water source.

Notably, the Saldaña River is the largest river in the Tolima department (almost 370,000 hectares), and initiates in the Las Hermosas and Nevado del Huila national parks. These areas are associated with major population centers and productive sectors such as coffee, rice, and grains. It is also considered an area with high potential for hydroelectric power production. However, it is estimated that 40% of the natural vegetation cover (about 150,000 ha) have been removed in an uncontrolled manner, and the loss of hedges is one of the biggest threats to the integrity of the water.

The agreement marks the beginning of the diagnostic phase to identify problems and possible intervention actions to implement.