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Chiribiquete National Park is located in the heart of the Colombian Amazon and is characterized by its biogeographical uniqueness, where the fauna and flora of the Guiana Shield, Orinoco savannas, the Andes Mountain range and Amazon rainforest converge. This leads to incredibly rich biodiversity in the pristine and remote rainforest, with tepuy table-top mountains that reach up to 1,000 meters in height. These tepuys are also sites of great archaeological importance and contain thousands of ancient rock paintings. Furthermore, the presence of indigenous groups still living in isolation in this area also makes Chiribiquete a culturally important place that requires protection against unauthorized exploration, colonization and unregulated economies. UNESCO declared it a mixed World Heritage site in 2018.

Since 2024, the Serranía de Chiribiquete Landscape is being supported by the Legacy Landscapes Fund with financial assistance of one million US dollars per year for 50 years and beyond. This enduring commitment will help to preserve the integrity of this Amazonian jewel by funding essential management activities within the national park and its influencing area.

Quick Facts
  • Name of project: Protection of Serranía de Chiribiquete National Park
  • Chiribiquete National Park: 42,682 km²
  • Project start: 2014
  • Project leader: Esperanza Leal
The tepui mountains in Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
A Bromelia plant. © Daniel Rosengren
A Caiman seen along the river Mesay in Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
The ranger station called El Guamo guarding the entrance to the Chiribiquiete National Park in the southern sector, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
Local villagers traveling by boat along the river Caquetá near Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
A large round hole, called “El Estadio”, filled with tall rainforest among the tepui mountains in Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
The rainforest by the river Mesay near the Guamo ranger post at the border of Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia. Drone photo. © Daniel Rosengren
Project briefing with the team of the turtle monitoring program in the river Caquetá in Cahuinari National Park, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
A Brown Woolly Monkey in Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
Freshly hatched Arrau Turtles (South American River Turtle, Giant South American Turtle, Giant Amazon River Turtle, Arrau Sideneck Turtle) on their way to the water. This is the largest species of freshwater turtles in South America. FZS works with indigenous communities in protecting these animals from unauthorized egg collection and has a program where local people are involved in monitoring and guarding them, Cahuinarí National Park. © Daniel Rosengren
A park ranger talking on the radio at the El Guamo ranger station in Chiribiquete National Park, Colombia. © Daniel Rosengren
A freshly hatched Arrau Turtle on its way to the water. This is the largest species of freshwater turtles in South America. © Daniel Rosengren

How we support Chiribiquete

Control and surveillance

  • Supporting Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia (PNNC) and Indigenous authorities in the implementation and enhancement of control and surveillance strategies by improving control posts and equipment at critical points to protect the landscape from illegal activities
  • Strengthening remote surveillance through high-resolution satellite data and overflights with environmental authorities to detect illegal activities
  • Supporting the development of technical capacities of PNNC staff and locals for the management and conservation of protected areas
  • Providing technical guidance and facilitating local coordination for forest fire prevention

Ecological monitoring

  • Supporting Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia (PNNC) with setting up a research station in southern Chiribiquete National Park and developing a biological ecological monitoring strategy for the park
  • Installing climatological stations in strategic points of the Chiribiquete National Park and surroundings to support the monitoring and analysis of climatological parameters in the protected area
  • Generating technical capacity for tracking and monitoring conservation priorities (selected species, ecosystems, habitats) using the SMART platform

Strengthening local participation

  • Supporting the development of strategies for monitoring biodiversity with indigenous communities and fostering to facilitate the establishment of conservation agreements
  • Promoting the participation of local authorities and local populations in events that reinforce the protection, knowledge and conservation of the landscape

Tourism Management

  • Supporting the study of the carrying capacity of tourist sites in the nearby protected area Serranía de La Lindosa to buffer tourism demand on Chiribiquete National Park and to promote knowledge of biodiversity and social responsibility for the natural and cultural values of the Amazon

Education

  • Supporting environmental education strategies of local populations and park rangers from the protected areas through training workshops and the provision of technical and scientific guidelines for the School Environmental Projects of rural educational institutes

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Project Partners

Successful conservation is always the result of great teamwork. We collaborate with local communities, national authorities, and conservation organizations. Our partners make our conservation work possible.

  • Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia (PNNC)
  • WWF Colombia
  • Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible (FCDS)
  • KfW
  • Indigenous reservation El Itilla
  • Indigenous reservation Llanos del Yarí Yaguara II
  • Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH)
  • Attorney General’s Office
  • Municipality of Calamar
  • Municipality of San Vicente del Caguán
  • Vereda el Camuya
  • Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF)
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News from Colombia

  • 10/01/2021Project update

    “Violence against environmental leaders in the Colombian Amazon has to stop”

    10/01/2021Project update

    “Violence against environmental leaders in the Colombian Amazon has to stop”

    Colombia is now the most dangerous country for environmental defenders: In 2020, 227 people were murdered worldwide for their commitment to protecting the environment, 65 of them in Colombia. To understand the reasons behind this crisis, nine environmental organizations who work in the Colombian Amazon, including FZS, joined forces to … Read more

  • 09/30/2021Press release

    Peace on hold in the Colombian Amazon

    09/30/2021Press release

    Peace on hold in the Colombian Amazon

    New in-depth study identifies worsening spiral of environmental destruction and violence since 2016 peace treaty between government and FARC.

  • 05/05/2021Project update

    “The award is an incentive for me to continue working for this cause”

    05/05/2021Project update

    “The award is an incentive for me to continue working for this cause”

    Julia Miranda Londoño, winner of a Bruno H. Schubert 2021 award, is one of the most prestigious environmentalists in Colombia. For more than a decade she has led the protection of 59 natural areas in the country, key areas for global biodiversity.

Contact

Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt von 1858 e.V.
Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1
60316 Frankfurt

Telephone: +49 (0)69 - 94 34 46 0
Fax: +49 (0)69 - 43 93 48
E-Mail

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