The Chocó-Darién Ecological 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 currently 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 Ecological Corridor in the tropical forests of northwest Colombia. Community benefits of the project include resources for strengthening community organizations, land-use planning, climate change adapation, and community-based conservation. Ecosystem monitoring activities focus on monitoring carbon stocks and forest dynamics as well as the exceptional bird and amphibian diversity at the site.

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