A REDD+ project will be carried out to reduce carbon emissions in Arhuaco territory in order to conserve forests and their biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

These initiatives will generate, in their first 10 years, an approximate reduction of 2,4 million tons of CO2 (initial figures to be specified with the progress of the studies to be carried out by Conexión Jaguar).

One of the most populous indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Arhuacos, joined forces with ISA’s Conexión Jaguar Program and its technical partners South Pole and Panthera to develop REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) conservation projects in their territory. This initiative seeks to halt deforestation in threatened areas in order to contribute to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation by protecting 614.043 hectares of forest.

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is known to them as “the heart of the world”. It is a territory considered sacred and where all the temperature and altitude ranges are present (from tropical forests at sea level to glaciers and snow-capped peaks of the highest altitude in Colombia), which generates a high richness in biodiversity, for example: it is home to more than 35% of the bird species in the country.

Because of this, the need for conservation is paramount, as it is currently under threat due to human-induced fires, the uncontrolled advance of agricultural frontiers and illegal crops, among other reasons.

“We have a shared purpose between the program and the Arhuacos regarding the conservation of the jaguar’s territory, which is sacred to them. That is why we work to create sustainable value by promoting initiatives that generate a positive environmental and social impact, through the management of our ISA2030 Strategy, while at the same time establishing trusting relationships with the communities in our areas of influence,” said María Adelaida Correa, Sustainability Director of ISA Group.

It is expected that in approximately a year and a half, these projects will be certified under international standards and will generate income for the communities from the issuance and sale of their credits in the carbon market. After this, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation activities will continue to be carried out, in addition to the conservation of the ancestral culture of the indigenous peoples. Both projects may have a term of up to 30 years.

Project with the Arhuaco people

The initial approaches of the project estimate the protection of 206.043 hectares in the department of Cesar, which, during its 10 years of initial involvement in the Conexión Jaguar program, will generate an estimated reduction of 450.000 tons of CO2.

It is important to point out that the development of the conservation project is part of one of the 17 initiatives contemplated in the “Connectivity Plan” developed between ISA, the Arhuaco leaders and the advice of Fundación Herencia Ambiental Caribe. This is a portfolio of projects that they can administer and manage in the future with the different stakeholders (other companies, government, NGOs, etc.) that converge in their territory for matters of ethno-education, human-feline coexistence, and forest conservation, pressing needs of these indigenous people and in which the affiliates of ISA, Intercolombia and Transelca, are already working with them.

ISA’s good relationship with this community is due to more than 16 years of building a relationship based on respect and trust. Since 2003, ISA established bonds with the Arhuaco community as spokespeople to develop a process of effective participation in the environmental and social management of the construction of the Bolívar-El Copey-Ocaña-Primavera 500 kV transmission line.

Conexión Jaguar, a commitment to the planet

By 2030, the Program has set a goal of supporting more than 20 forest conservation and restoration initiatives along the Jaguar Corridor in Latin America, which are expected to contribute to the reduction of 9 million tons of CO2.

To date, 900.000 hectares have been protected, 167 species of fauna have been recorded and a potential reduction of 6.178.129 million tons of CO2 has been achieved between the seven forestry projects in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. More information at conexionjaguar.org