The miPáramo programme run by the Alianza BioCuenca Foundation in Colombia brings together private and public stakeholders and the rural population. Its goal is to protect this hugely valuable ecosystem in the High Andes. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is supporting the programme and the integrated pilot by providing smart photo traps that can help to conserve the area’s biodiversity. The next phase is due to follow at the end of 2024 – with more cameras and even greater participation among farming families.
‘We have to protect the páramos’
Three questions for Samira Fadul from the drinks manufacturer Bavaria in Colombia. The company is supporting a programme to protect the valuable páramo ecosystem in the High Andes. As Vice President Legal and Corporate Affairs, Fadul is responsible for the company’s sustainability strategy.
Illustration: Julian Rentzsch
Why is Bavaria supporting the miPáramo programme?
The páramos supply water to around 70 per cent of the Colombian population. We have to protect them. In the miPáramo programme, we have teamed up with rural communities to protect the páramos of Santurbán, Guerrero and Chingaza – by renaturing them and supporting farmers in making the transition to sustainable production. To do so, we are cooperating with the miPáramo partner organisations.
What role do camera traps play in protecting biodiversity in the páramos?
The families taking part in miPáramo have reforested their land and have designated areas of land to be left unfarmed. Together, we have created biodiversity corridors between these areas of land, which means that they are no longer isolated areas and animals can move between them. Camera traps enable us to record in real time how these corridors affect the fauna, with artificial intelligence helping us to identify the species quickly.
What role do páramos play in connection with the climate crisis?
The climate crisis further highlights the need to protect the páramos, because these ecosystems help regulate the water cycle in the water catchment areas. They assist in mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis and at the same time help us to adapt to these impacts.