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COLOMBIA, South America
Colombia is a land rich in natural resources. Unfortunately these resources
are not adequately protected. Over 100,000 hectares of primary and secondary
forests are destroyed each year. This equates to approximately the size of the
canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
Guaduas is the largest municipality of the state of Cundinamarca. The continued
opening of forest land for livestock and crop use has depleted the water supply
as well as damaged the biodiversity.
Water levels are becoming dangerously low. Flora and Fauna are in a precarious
state.
Our long term goal is to reforest over 5000 hectares. The Colombian Growth
Alliance will initially begin with the purchase of 100 hectares to protect and
promote the reforestation of native tree species currently on the endangered
species list. This long term project will have a direct positive impact upon
2,000 people and an indirect impact upon 10,000 providing employment
opportunities, education and an improved social-economic standing.
Will you help us help them?
Scope
The Project is an alternative development model
that encompasses many different components including forestry research and
management, community organizations, training and education, micro business
development, biodiversity protection, program funding and project management. It
is an integral approach to rural development. As such, this long-term project
has very ambitious objectives and its complexity depends on the area of
influence and speed of implementation.
The initial phase of the project deals with the establishment of an
international foundation, the Colombian Growth Alliance, to provide a credible
and efficient way to fund the implementation and sustainability of the different
programs. The Colombian Growth Alliance will have its base in Switzerland, a
country with a well established culture in promoting north-south unity building.
The foundation will then extend its funding activities to other countries in the
European Union.
The project has been broken down into different programs due to its complexity
in implementation and funding requirements. The central engine of the project is
the sustainable management of intermediate forest systems which will provide the
desired impulse to develop the other programs. Intermediate forest systems are
positioned between the pure protection of biodiversity and endangered species
and the reforestation via forest plantations for commercial and industrial uses.
Local rural community organizations, associations and cooperatives, aligned with
the objectives of the Alliance will benefit from the Project by accessing
services and knowledge in the production of timber and non timber forest
products (NTFP). Creating awareness of the importance of tropical reforestation
and future water resources will be promoted within these communities via
cooperation with the basic education schools, technical training programs and
professional education.
All the programs will converge into the development of related businesses along
the productive chain. As the project develops with the support of the
international community and reaches a desired recognition and leverage with the
local communities, and the intermediate forest systems initiate a productive
phase, new enterprises and value added manufacturing will develop to provide the
transformation of related products and their commercialization in the local and
international markets.
The Colombian Growth Alliance plays a significant role in supporting every step
of the Project cycle, from the gathering of the much needed funding resources to
the promotion and commercialization of the final products of this development
model. Solidarity and participation are key success factors of the Project.
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Program Management
 During
the first phase of the program the management team is composed of the founding
members of the CGA in addition to a local project manager and other
interested individuals, who together lead the initial activities of the
Alliance in Colombia. At a later stage the Colombian Growth Alliance will
require the separation of a governing body and a management team.
The governing body will be the board of directors of the Colombian Growth
Alliance located in Switzerland whose members are appointed to strategically
guide the Alliance in its mission and objectives. In addition to the founding
members further appointed members must have a profile with high public
recognition of ethical management and special unconditional interest for the
different aspects of the development model.
The local management team will be composed of the managing director of the
Colombian Growth Alliance and selected local professionals hired to implement
the various programs under the guidelines of the CGA. The selected professionals
will come from the fields of forestry engineering, rural development, education,
and agricultural and business management.
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Area of Influence
  
South America
Colombia
Cundinamarca
Our overall target in the
medium term is to protect and restore 5,000 hectares in several locations of a
specific geographical area with some distinct characteristics. The relevant
geographical area for the Project is located on the northwestern side of
Cundinamarca, composed by three municipalities in the Bajo Magdalena; Puerto
Salgar, Guaduas and Caparrapi covering an approximate area 185’000 hectares
and with a total population of approximately 70,200. It is estimated that this
region still has 6,000 hectares left in primary extractive forests. The project
is estimated to have a direct impact upon 2000 people and indirect impact upon
10,000 people
The area corresponds to the Magdalena water basin and the Rio Negro water basin
which flows into the Magdalena river close to the town of Puerto Salgar. The
altitude ranges from 300 meters above sea level to 1500 meters above sea level.
Abarco is one of the endangered tropical hard wood species that is still found
and extracted from the lower part of this region.
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Project Status
 The
founding initiators are currently working on the different fronts of initial
phase of the program: Website construction and launch, Foundation legalities,
Fund raising initiatives, Project proposal, etc. They have already donated
hundreds of man hours and significant monetary resources to develop the concept
and initiate the Foundation. We need your help and additional resources to give
impulse to the foundation.
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Support and Endorsements
 A project
of this magnitude requires the cooperation and support of stakeholders both
within Colombia as well as internationally. In Colombia we count with the
support of several individuals and entities for the success of the project. We
require donors and sponsors for the different segments of the project.
At this stage we are seeking the endorsement from the Colombian Embassy in
Switzerland (Bern) as well as development entities and Environmental agencies
based in Europe.
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