An Agenda for San Lucas Forests and People: Aims and Priorities for Their Conservation and Recovery

Abstract

The wetlands and, more broadly, the valuable forests of the San Lucas biogeographic unit are disappearing and are threatened by extractive practices related mainly to cattle ranching, poorly managed road development, and alluvial mining. From within Antioquia's territory, the "Agenda for San Lucas Forests and People" is being promoted to foster forest conservation and recovery, as well as the fulfillment of rights and the improvement of quality of life for the peasant and ethnic communities inhabiting these lands. To this end, productive projects are being developed to enrich scrubland with native ecosystem species, agroforestry, beekeeping, promotion of formalized rural land tenure, proposals for proper planning and renewal of connectivity, road development and transportation alternatives, and various research initiatives, among other proposals. All of this requires coordination between institutions and social organizations, in a forest management effort that strengthens institutions, the well-being of San Lucas communities, coexistence, and forest protection.