Colombia this month became one of the first in Latin America to declare indigenous sacred land to be of “national and cultural interest,” according to lobby group Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) who helped with the process.
Colombia this month became one of the first in Latin America to declare indigenous sacred land to be of “national and cultural interest,” according to lobby group Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) who helped with the process.
“This land has been recognized as not only important to the indigenous people, but also to the Colombian people, as a culturally and environmentally significant area,” ACT’s development associate Eric Ventura told Colombia Reports.
According to Ventura, the land on Colombia’s east coast which is considered sacred by the Kogi tribe was under extensive pressure from development, especially with mining. “This is prime Caribbean real estate,” said the ACT representative, “there won’t be much more of that around.”
The land in question was under private ownership and ACT worked closely in a public-private partnership supported by the Ministry of Culture, the national rural development agency INCODER and the indigenous Kogi to purchase the 383 acres surrounding the sacred site.
Although the purchase of the land for the Kogi did not present much trouble as their claims to it were “undeniable,” land claims further south in the country are not as clear cut, according to Ventura. “The land can be contested between two different indigenous groups, or with agrarian peasants who may have been farming the land for 50 years or more,” said the ACT representative.
There is also pressure from mining and exploration companies as violence due to conflict in these areas is diminishing, said Ventura. “Where before companies were reluctant to bring expensive equipment and crew into troubled regions, in the last three months around one thousand mining concessions have been requested,” according to the official.
“This is the first major achievement,” said Ventura, who added that the Colombian government under president Juan Manuel Santos is “really pushing to expedite indigenous land claims.”
Under new legislation facilitated by ACT the government recently pledged to double the area of Chiribiquete national park in southern Colombia to almost 7.5 million acres, said the representative.
Chiribiquete, known for its unusual rock formations and waterfalls along with cave painting sites, will encompass two “uncontacted” indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation from the outside world. The new legislation makes “explicit reference” to protecting isolated indigenous peoples from unwanted contact.
“This legislation guarantees the returning of land to indigenous groups wherever they roam,” said Ventura, “and they roam a lot. What really distinguishes Colombia here is that they are providing connectivity. Chiribiquete will act as a huge contiguous expanse of forests and reserves,” said the ACT official. “This will ensure against isolated islands of biodiversity.”
“The Colombian government is making great strides in the area of environmental and cultural protection,” said Ventura.
Sources
- Interview with Eric Ventura, development associate Amazon Conservation Team
- Act helps purchase 383 acres of sacred land in Colombia (Skoll Foundation)
- Colombia to double size of Chiribiquete national park (Mongabay)