Autor: ecoceano

RESUMEN The Ecoceanos Foundation has been working with the Zenú indigenous people in Colombia since 2021, on energy transition initiatives with a focus on rights, gender and food security. Between 2024 and 2025, with funding from the Honnold Foundation, 20 solar panels were installed to power a hydraulic pump capable of extracting water from an aquifer located 45 meters away and provide irrigation to community food production plots for about 300 Zenú indigenous families.The results have been overwhelming: production went from 3 to 15 tons per month (five times more), and a sustainability strategy was designed in which part of what is produced is managed by the indigenous secretariat and sold to the community at a fifth of the market price, generating funds to maintain the photovoltaic system and the aqueduct for at least 30 years.However, the water extracted from the deep well is also used for human consumption and the current infrastructure does not have a drinking water treatment system. This exposes children, young people and women to water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea and leptospirosis in children, and toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, with effects on the health of the mother and the newborn.This preliminary study supports the need to incorporate a reverse osmosis water treatment plant with the capacity to produce at least 10,000 liters of drinking water per day, describes its preliminary technical scope, its articulation with the existing infrastructure, the sustainability scheme, the work plan, the risks and the monitoring indicators.

Biodiversity Conservation through Community-Based Tourism in Colombia | ECO-TOURBIO 2023–2024 In 2023, we launched the ECO-TOURBIO call, Biodiversity Conservation through Community-Based Tourism in Colombia, to select one Colombian organization capable of connecting visitor spending with habitat protection. We selected its proposal through competition. We awarded USD 100,000 to Bosque Colombiano Foundation for the ETHNOPROGRAM TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON. The Foundation committed USD 10,000 in counterpart resources. Implemented from 2 September 2023 to 1 September 2024, the initiative focused on 600 Tikuna Indigenous families across 10,537 hectares of the Colombian Amazon basin. Our selection reflected a practical premise: communities protecting biodiversity should be able to earn income from responsible tourism. The territorial challenge was specific. Families had limited access to organized birdwatching markets despite living alongside exceptional forest biodiversity. The project’s assessment also identified young people’s exposure to illegal wildlife trafficking networks, which can exploit detailed knowledge of forest trails and wildlife locations. Bosque Colombiano Foundation responded by developing guided birdwatching experiences where the quality of wildlife habitat determines the value of the visitor experience. Tikuna authorities participated in validating access and deciding which sensitive sites would remain protected. PHOTO 1 — Tikuna community members conducting participatory birdwatching and territorial assessment activities in the Amazon rainforest. Developing Conservation-Compatible Tourism Experiences The project combined low-impact observation facilities with augmented-reality interpretation of Amazonian birds. Binoculars and spotting scopes enabled observation from established points, reducing pressure to approach wildlife. Tablets supplied interpretation content without publishing sensitive species locations. By the April 2024 technical review, five community birdwatching centres were operational, six tourism products were ready for pilot delivery and 18 bird modules had been produced. These figures describe the documented implementation milestone. PHOTO 2 — Community birdwatching centre equipped with observation instruments and augmented-reality technology. Strengthening Indigenous Leadership and Participation Local capability was central to the design. The Foundation structured training for 100 Tikuna young people, with women occupying at least half of the places. At the April checkpoint, 65 participants were progressing through the programme, including 36 women; 42 had passed practical assessments. The emerging Indigenous Tourism Secretariat had seven representatives ratified, four of them women. We valued this governance approach because decisions on routes, equipment and tourism revenue need legitimate community authority if services are to continue after grant funding ends. PHOTO 3 — Tikuna women and young tourism guides participating in practical training or community governance activities. Connecting Indigenous Enterprises with Tourism Markets Market access was developed alongside field capacity. A trilingual Spanish-English-German platform enabled tourism information, reservations and payment workflows. Three initial campaigns reached 2,640 potential visitors and recorded 285 bookings or confirmations by April 2024. The Foundation had also completed diagnostics for 20 Tikuna microbusinesses, with 12 prepared for digital presentation. Promotion was paced against available guides and observation centres to protect service reliability. PHOTO 4 — Tikuna microentrepreneurs presenting tourism products or demonstrating the community digital platform. Our Commitment to Sustainable Tourism ECO-TOURBIO was designed to make local tourism economically useful and ecologically accountable. We required visitor rules supported by community monitoring because unmanaged growth could undermine the forest assets supporting tourism. Indigenous governance provided the basis for local oversight. The completed implementation period provides a basis for examining how those mechanisms performed, including outcomes that require endline financial and field records. We are publishing Bosque Colombiano Foundation’s final technical report so partners can review the documented work and evidence. Our commitment remains to support tourism models that strengthen communities while maintaining the biodiversity on which their future opportunities depend.

ABSTRACTDahl’s sea turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli) is a freshwater species endemic to the tropical dry forest (TDF) of the Colombian Caribbean. Its historical distribution is limited to drainage systems associated with floodplains, seasonal streams, and riparian forests in the departments of Córdoba, Magdalena, Atlántico, and Bolívar. It is categorized as Critically Endangered (CR) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to intense anthropogenic landscape transformation, loss of ecological connectivity, reduction of dry forest cover, hydrological alteration, and pressures from productive land use. The species exhibits an ecology closely linked to temporary and permanent aquatic microhabitats, with activity cycles conditioned by the climatic seasonality characteristic of the TDF.Between 2022 and 2024, local initiatives were implemented for the conservation of M. dahli populations. *M. dahli in the streams that drain into the Ciénaga Grande complex, in the municipality of Lorica (Córdoba), through participatory processes with rural communities. As a result, community conservation agreements were established, facilitating the ecological restoration of approximately 45 hectares of riparian forest, a critical habitat for the species and a strategic water source for local communities. The actions implemented included controlling stress factors in riparian zones (such as overgrazing and deforestation), establishing more than 3,700 propagules of native and threatened forest species, rehabilitating degraded productive areas, and promoting sustainable production systems compatible with conservation. Simultaneously, the documentation of local ecological knowledge about the biology, behavior, and habitat use of M. dahli was strengthened, integrating traditional knowledge into monitoring and adaptive management processes. These interventions contributed to strengthening territorial governance for conservation, promoting community co-responsibility in the protection of the tropical dry forest and the socio-ecological resilience of aquatic systems associated with the species.

This preliminary study aimed to diagnose the conditions of access to, quality of, and use of drinking water in Indigenous communities located along the banks of the San Jorge River, as well as to evaluate the technical, environmental, and climatic feasibility of implementing a water purification system powered by photovoltaic solar energy. The research was conducted by an interdisciplinary team from the ECOCEANOS Corporation, in collaboration with experts from the University of the Caribbean and the University of Córdoba, through fieldwork, direct observation, and technical analysis of the territory. The study identified a recurring public health problem associated with the consumption of untreated water, resulting from direct river intake and the absence of water purification systems in the communities evaluated. This situation particularly affects pregnant women, who are at greater risk of contracting waterborne diseases such as toxoplasmosis, as well as children and the elderly. Additionally, climatic conditions, solar radiation levels, and average temperatures in the area were analyzed to determine the feasibility of operating a photovoltaic system as the primary energy source. The results confirmed that the territory has favorable conditions for solar power generation, thus providing technical support for the implementation of an autonomous water extraction and purification system. This preliminary study served as the basis for the project design, ensuring its social, health, and technical relevance.

SUMMARYThis five-year program (2025-2030) proposes native ornamental horticulture as an innovative pedagogical and bioclimatic strategy for schools in the Colombian dry Caribbean. We have demonstrated, based on international and local evidence, that the implementation of school gardens with ornamental species typical of the region can generate significant impacts.The data indicate that these green spaces can increase students’ attention by up to 25% and reduce their stress levels by 20%. In addition, the presence of native flora in school gardens has a positive effect on local biodiversity, doubling the presence of pollinators.The study details the theoretical foundations that underpin this initiative, a rigorous selection process of species adapted to the dry Caribbean ecosystem, the phases of implementation of the program and the evaluation mechanisms to measure its effectiveness. In essence, we offer a replicable roadmap that fuses the beauty of native vegetation with applied science and the active participation of the educational community, creating more enriching and sustainable learning environments.Keywords: ornamental horticulture, pedagogical strategy, student care, stress reduction, local biodiversity, native flora, community participation, learning environments, sustainability.

SUMMARY The Embera Katío indigenous community in Tierralta, Córdoba, is facing a serious environmental and public health crisis due to the accumulation of plastic waste and the lack of an efficient solid waste management system. The absence of adequate public policies has led to unsustainable practices, such as burning garbage, which releases toxic substances and causes respiratory diseases. In addition, the accumulated plastics retain stagnant water, creating ideal breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue and Zika. In 2023, 4,300 cases of dengue were reported in the area, an increase of 132% compared to the previous year. In 2022, Ecoceanos managed to achieve a plastic compacting machine, reducing the volume of waste by 70% and generating local jobs. However, the instability of the electricity supply and high operating costs have limited its effectiveness. This document analyzes the problem, proposes technical and social solutions, and evaluates the expected results. The solutions include stabilizing the electricity supply, using renewable energies, optimizing the compaction system, and strengthening the circular economy. An 80% reduction in the volume of waste, a significant decrease in cases of dengue and Zika, and the generation of local jobs are expected. This comprehensive approach seeks to improve the quality of life of the community, protect the environment and respect the Embera Katío culture.Keywords: Plastic waste, public health, Embera Katío, dengue, circular economy, waste management, renewable energy, environmental pollution.