GC Mission to Sierra Nevada and Tayrona National Parks Colombia

At the invitation of Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, Global Conservation conducted a week-long mission to the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta and Tayrona National Parks. We planned deployment of Global Park Defense for the national park and indigenous territories, as well as marine protection in Tayrona National Park.

In meetings with the indigenous leaders of the Kogi peoples and national park authority, we found consensus on an action plan for restarting patrolling, monitoring and surveillance of the indigenous territories in collaboration with park rangers to decrease the threats of illegal logging, land clearing and wildlife poaching.

During thirty years of insecurity in Colombia, large areas of these national parks were cleared for marijuana and coca cultivation. Two park directors were murdered and a park ranger was killed in 2019. Now, the national park authority seeks to build capacity to deploy SMART Patrols and integrated Community Protection in critical areas facing deforestation, allowing the forests and wildlife habitats to recover their natural values.

Parques Nacionales Sierra Nevada and Tayrona signed a new long-term agreement and management plan with the four indigenous groups including the Kogi and Arhuaco people in 2022, and will soon announce a major expansion of the national park by nearly 20% in 2023.

The expansion of the Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is part of an Indigenous-led strategy to reclaim lost ancestral territories and sacred sites surrounding the Sierra Nevada Santa Marta known as “La Línea Negra” (the Black Line). 

Deforestation of the national park of Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta between 2010 and 2020 (Global Forest Watch).

The Challenge

With only one truck and 3 rangers to cover over 300,000 acres of difficult terrain with few roads, Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is seeking both technical and financial support to improve effectiveness of patrolling and financing for joint patrols with indigenous peoples.

There is an urgent need to combat deforestation, which saw the national park and indigenous territories lose over 80% of the park’s forests in the past 30 years. Deforestation by fire, cutting and clearing continues at a rapid pace, with nearly 5% loss over the past 10 years.

Threats to the National Park and Indigenous Territories. Mining, pesticides, cattle ranching, intensive tourism, urban settlements and coal ports are encroaching on this vulnerable land, threatening the survival of its biodiversity and the communities that live here.

Critically Endangered species like the tapir, jaguar, blue-billed curassow, harlequin toad, brown spider monkey and blue-bearded helmetcrest all inhabit these forests.

About the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

The breathtaking mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, with peaks of up to 5720m in altitude, form the highest coastal mountain range on Earth. It influences the landscape, marine and life zones of the region ranging from permanent snowcapped peaks down to deep marine areas. 

These are the sacred ancestral lands of four Indigenous Peoples: the Kogi, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamo. These direct descendants of an ancient civilization known as the Tayrona speak distinct languages, but share the common belief that they are the guardians of the heart of the World.

The indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, including the Kogi and Auwacha groups, give great spiritual value to the natural ecosystems and landscape.

At the core of the spirituality and cosmology of all the people of the Sierra Nevada is the belief that their entire mountain range is a living entity, created by the great mother Sezhankwa in the spiritual universe. The great mother then birthed the people of the Sierra Nevada and gave the mandate to uphold her Original Law: that all her creation must be protected and nurtured.   

Through deep meditations, ritual offerings, songs and prayers carried out along a network of interconnected sacred sites that link the snowy peaks to the river deltas and estuaries to the Sea, the Kogi priests known as Mamos follow the great mother's law of caring for and nurturing the Sierra Nevada. By doing so, they believe they maintain the equilibrium of life not only for their sacred mountains but for the entire world.  

It is an incredible biodiversity resource for both the region and the world, harboring about 20% of Colombia’s species diversity. This amazing landscape is being threatened by hunting, illegal extraction of resources, forest fires, land tenure issues, and the propagation and trafficking of illicit drugs. 

All of these contribute to loss of habitat, resulting in escalating conflicts between jaguars and livestock and between peccaries and farmers. Weak cell and internet service interfere with the ability to respond efficiently to illegal activity.  

If approved, Global Conservation will provide Global Park Defense training for the national park to improve the capacity of rangers to organize patrols on park lands and marine protected areas using SMART systems, and to strengthen the community protection with indigenous peoples. We will focus on two high threat/high biodiversity areas – one marine and one on land.

This Global Park Defense program will provide funding, equipment and training for Community Protection Teams working closely with the National Park Authority to stop illegal land invasion, land clearing, illegal logging and wildlife poaching over the 100,000-acre forest area of focus, and support marine protection in partnership with the Guarda Costa.

Global Conservation support will include:

• Communications
• Surveillance
• SMART Patrolling
• Community Teams
• Ranger Stations
• Uniforms, Boots and Equipment
• Training

If the proposed GC Project is approved, Global Conservation will deploy Global Park Defense in partnership with the indigenous peoples and national parks authority to protect over 100,000 acres of highly biodiverse forests and wildlife habitats in the northern sector.

We will also support legal support for cases of arrests or land invasions. If the pilot project proves successful, with greatly increased patrolling and arrests and interdictions of illegal activities, Global Conservation will consider a full 5-year GC Project, including development of a network of ranger stations with the indigenous authorities.

Priorities for Forest Protection through Global Park Defense this year include:

• Expand the number of Park Rangers and Community Patrolling Teams enabling a 20-strong Community Protection Force with equipment, systems and training.
• Design a camera trap network based on coverage and accessibility.
• Procure equipment for extended patrols, including hammocks, packs, and flashlights.
• Support regular joint patrols between Communities and Park Rangers.
• Provide satellite internet for remote bases and a new command center.
• Analyze flyover and satellite imagery to identify trails and new deforestation. 

Primary Goals for Marine Protection

1. Deploy Global Park Defense for Marine: Systems, Technology & Training
2. Threat Assessment & MPA management planning
3. Secure User Fees and increased government and NGO support
4. Support patrol operations (fuel, rations, maintenance)
5. Achieve ‘No Take’ MPA protection in core areas - become a model for MPA Protection in Colombia

The coastal and marine area of Tayrona National Park is one of the sectors in the Caribbean which contains the greatest biological diversity in the Americas.

Tayrona National Park’s Marine Protected Area is a ‘No Take’ Zone extending across 20 miles of coastline, comprising over 5,000 acres. It is considered to be one of the most intact marine ecosystems on South America’s Pacific coast.  

One of the country’s only Caribbean coral reefs, Tayrona features 110 species of corals, 202 species of sponges, 700 species of mollusks, and over 400 species of sea and river fish. Colombia has over 340 endemic species and 44 of those are located in Tayrona.

Without real protection, the fish and wildlife of this critical ecosystem will continue to be destroyed and the 80 families of local indigenous fishers permitted in the area will have no livelihoods.

Implementing Global Park Defense in Parques Nacionales Sierra Nevada and Tayrona Marine Protected Area is critical for protecting Colombia’s declining wildlife populations, as well as conserving some of the most unique forest and marine habitats in South America.