Environmental Monitors committed to community monitoring

The 12 environmental monitors of the project in Colombia decided to continue monitoring the Caquetá “Mico Bonito” (monkey) as an umbrella species for the local governance process, becoming the first community group to monitor this endemic species.

In November, the Amazonia 2.0 team in Colombia had its last work meeting, where a total of 17 people participated including: the environmental monitors of the Mononguete nucleus and the Inga Indigenous Reservation of Niñeras, of Solano (Caquetá), and the members of the Fundación Natura technical team, who have been accompanying this process for three years.

The meeting took place in an eco-hotel, located on the outskirts of the municipality of Florencia, in the village of El Caraño, an open and ideal place to comply with the biosecurity measures that are necessary for the current COVID-19 pandemic that is affecting the planet. Without a doubt, after eight months of physical distance, being together again is what stands out the most from this meeting and was one of the purposes of the four day trip.

This space allowed for feedback on the preliminary results of the community monitoring carried out by the environmental monitors in their territories, from the beginning of this project that is now in its final phase. In addition, it was an opportunity to unify criteria, language and specific data to finalize the documents in the process of elaboration and to define the closing strategy of Amazonia 2.0 in Colombia.

Thus, from November 11th to 15th, the environmental monitors made important decisions that affect the process of local governance that they have been strengthening. One of these decisions was to prioritize some species and define environmental zoning for a proposed Intercultural Management Plan for the indigenous and campesino territory shared by their communities, as one of the most hopeful bets for the sustainability and autonomy of this process, based on capacity building and community monitoring of which they have been part for three years.

They also defined an "umbrella" species to continue monitoring: the Caquetá “Mico Bonito” Monkey (Plecturocebus caquetensis), a primate endemic to the region, whose follow-up will allow for the evaluation and strengthening of the local governance process in this part of the Amazon.

The Statutes of the Association for the Development of the Mononguete Nucleus were also officially presented. This is a campesino organization that brings together eight villages represented by environmental monitors and which, after 20 years, renewed its internal legal regulations with the support of Fundación Natura's technical team, as part of the organizational strengthening that has been taking place at the same time as the development of a Strategic Plan and the graphic line and organizational identity. The monitors of the Inga community in the Niñeras Reservation also worked on this last aspect.

After extensive days of dialogue and participative construction, ludic dynamics and some nostalgic reflections due to the proximity of the closing, it was possible to reach specific agreements, such as the need to socialize the progress made with the local communities, especially the proposed Intercultural Management Plan, whose support from the inhabitants of the territory, both indigenous and campesino, will give it the necessary strength to become a comprehensive, effective management plan and a reference for the country.

For more information on Fundación Natura's work in Colombia, visit: https://natura.org.co/