Protected Areas of the Department of Antioquia: Current Status and Prospects for the Conservation of Departmental Natural Heritage

Abstract

A departmental policy on the part of authorities requires social recognition of the role these areas play in improving the population's quality of life, along with public and private social responsibility and regional equity in the distribution of burdens and benefits, based on recognizing the interactions that occur at the regional level. Although nearly 9% of Antioquia's territory has been declared a national- or regional-level Protected Area, around 60% of the total natural ecosystems associated with natural forests remain outside Antioquia's Protected Areas System. Adding new areas representing the department's existing ecosystems to the System must therefore be considered an urgent task in building the territory's strategic support base.