Within the framework of the national tour Colombia Felina, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development led the fourth regional update workshop of the National Program for the Conservation of Wild Felines in Mocoa. There, a strategic proposal was presented: the creation of a trinational ecological corridor between Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador to ensure the protection of the jaguar and other species that inhabit border areas.
“Conserving the jaguar is conserving life. Nature knows no boundaries,” expressed Mauricio Cabrera Leal, Deputy Minister of Environmental Policies and Standardization, highlighting the initiative from Putumayo, a key region for the connectivity of Amazonian ecosystems.
A multisectoral meeting with international support
The workshop, held at the facilities of Corpoamazonía, was attended by more than 110 representatives from institutions, communities, and organizations.
The event was supported by the program GEF Corazón de la Amazonía and WWF Colombia, reaffirming the regional commitment to biodiversity protection.
From National Natural Parks, La Paya Park, located on the border with Ecuador, emphasized the importance of transboundary populations of jaguars and the need to establish a trinational corridor to ensure their ecological mobility and joint conservation.
Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities: protagonists of conservation
The workshop actively involved indigenous and Afro-descendant communities from upper, middle, and lower Putumayo, who contributed from their cosmovisions and traditional practices.
The Association of Indigenous Councils of Upper and Lower Putumayo Land (ACILAPP) shared their vision of coexistence with the jaguar, reinforcing the ethnic and territorial approach of the program.
Together with farmers, local leaders, and academics, a regional roadmap for the next 25 years was developed, aimed at the protection of wild felines and their habitats in Putumayo and Amazonian areas.
A transboundary approach for comprehensive conservation
The new regional dimension complements national strategies and strengthens international cooperation.
The workshop consolidated an innovative approach for the program: the integration of the transboundary dimension.
It allows efforts to be coordinated among neighboring countries, complement national policies, and strengthen regional cooperation around the conservation of key species such as the jaguar.
Next steps: official presentation on International Jaguar Day
Colombia reaffirms its leadership in trinational conservation and Amazonian biodiversity.
The national tour includes eight regional meetings, whose results will be integrated into the final version of the program, which will be officially presented on November 29, within the framework of International Jaguar Day.
With this process, Colombia reaffirms its regional leadership in biodiversity protection. It advances in building a roadmap that combines science, public policy, and ancestral knowledge to ensure the survival of wild felines and the resilience of Amazonian ecosystems.
