The Chocó-Darién Conservation Corridor

One of Conservation International’s original seventeen global hotspots, the Chocó is truly outstanding in terms of the diversity of its ecosystems, flora, and fauna. The region is home to between 7,000-8,000 plant species and at least 100 bird species that exist nowhere else in the world, and average levels of rainfall are among the highest on the planet. In recognition of this extraordinary wealth, UNESCO designated two of the region’s national parks (Los Katíos in Colombia and Darién in Panama) as World Heritage sites.

Nonetheless, the region faces serious environmental threats, including agricultural expansion, conversion of forest to pasture, illegal logging, and road construction. Anthrotect is working with Afro-Colombian and indigenous groups holding collectively-titled lands to establish the Chocó-Darién Conservation Corridor in the tropical forests of northwest Colombia. By providing economic incentives and other resources, the project aims to offer new livelihood alternatives to local communities through activities that conserve these threatened forests and their exceptional biodiversity.