Posted on octubre, 14 2009

Colombia, recognized among the five most biodiverse countries on the planet, is ready to take key actions to preserve the Bocachico and close to 500 other species identified and catalogued within the National Migratory Species Plan, a publication launched on the 14th of October in Bogota as a result of an enormous research and inter-institutional effort.
 
Colombia, home to the flora and fauna of both Central and South America, ranks first in number of birds, sixth in number of reptiles, and ninth in the number of mammal species in the world. Aware of being one of the main biodiversity hearts of the region, more than 34 institutions and 64 people, including researchers and environmental lobbyists, have begun the marathon venture of identifying the migratory species representative of Colombian biodiversity aiming to protect their routes and habitats.

The document, titled “National migratory species plan: Diagnosis and identification of actions for conservation and sustainable management of Colombian biodiversity migratory species”, is the outcome of active government and civil society institutions that got involved in this project pursuing a common goal: protecting the national natural wealth.

The main purpose of this Plan is to guarantee the survival of migratory species populations in the country, implementing strategies for conservation, research, evaluation, use, control and management through coordinated -intra and inter-institutional- work and input of local and regional communities.

The process of putting together this Plan, led by the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development (MAVDT) and WWF Colombia, included the development of a systematic baseline as an attempt to define more precisely the list of species that can be considered migratory in this South American nation. The first phase covered 8 biological groups: marine mammals, freshwater mammals, bats, birds, sea turtles, saltwater fish, freshwater fish and insects, an anthology of great magnitude and positive consequences regarding future conservation policies in the country.

The result: 549 species identified as migratory. However, the Plan is not focused only on safeguarding these species, their itineraries and habitats, but also on compiling the existing knowledge about the basic ecological aspects of these animals, the threats confronting their populations, and the means of conservation that have been taken or are required to prevent or mitigate such tendencies.

The species listed in the International Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), were the reference point. The list is generally limited to species with trans-border routes between countries. While these are the ones that are most easily recognized, the list overlooks the complexity of migration.

 “And this is one of the great strengths of the diagnosis and the formulation of the Plan: contribute a definition of the migration phenomenon recognizing all the species that move from one place to another on the local and latitudinal scale, among others”, asserted Luis Germán Naranjo, Conservation Director for WWF Colombia.

 
Biodiversity, vast asset
In April 2003, the Ministers of 123 countries committed to significantly reducing the current rate of biodiversity loss on local, national and regional levels as a way to mitigate poverty and benefit all ecosystems and living beings that inhabit the Earth.

News published a week ago by the agency EFE, draws attention on the loss of biodiversity in recent years across the globe and the impossibility to comply with the international commitment to halt by 2010 the downward slope, according to one group of scientists.

Six years have passed since experts agreed upon the 2010 deadline at the VI Conference on Biological Diversity held in Paris. At the brink of reaching the limit, experts are holding the red alert flag because there hasn’t been full compliance of the agreement. Furthermore, the loss rate has increased unchecked caused primarily by deforestation, main greenhouse gas emitter and climate change driver.

“Alteration on ecosystems and biodiversity loss have accelerated. The rate of species extinction is at least 100 times higher than the one prior to the appearance of humans, and it will continue to mount”, asserted Georgina Mace, vice president of Diversitas (international program established in 1991 by the organization of the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture—UNESCO—and the International Council for Science that promotes scientific research on biodiversity).

In the case of Colombia, which counts for 10% of the planet’s biodiversity while occupying only 0.7% of the Earth’s surface, many species with high cultural and socioeconomic value have been disappearing for a number of reasons.

The draining of wetlands (Oxbow lakes and swamps) in the Colombian side of the Orinoco, the valleys of Magdalena and Cauca rivers as well as the plains of the Atrato basin, as a crop expansion method –e.g. sugar cane and palm oil plantations to supply biofuels demand-, represents a serious threat to the rivers and wetlands’ interconnection which are crucial for reproduction of commercial migratory species such as the Bocachico or the large Catfish.

In 1978 38,000 tons of Bocachico were caught in the Magdalena, Sinú and Atrato basins, yet in 2002 this number plummeted to 6000 tons. Such drop is alarming and extremely negative, it carries serious socioeconomic impact on the livelihood of local communities and risks food security of the people living in Colombia’s major cities. But it is precisely an extinction scenario like this that the National Migratory Species Plan is trying to avert.

“All this effort goes beyond a simple process of classifying migratory species and listing a series of actions for their conservation in Colombia. In fact, this Plan surpasses the ecological sphere acknowledging the need to protect the migratory cycle of species that are regarded as extremely important, culturally and socio-economically speaking, for different communities in Colombia”, emphasized Naranjo.

Last but not least, the Plan not only seeks to serve as a useful and auto-convincing tool within the environmental bubble, but also to sound appealing enough for different sectors of the economy (mining, energy, agriculture, etc.) so that they commit to do business under sustainable development grounds, thus contribute to the conservation of one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.