Clearing landmines to protect Colombia's rainforest
In brief
HALO, Rainforest Trust, and the Amazon Conservation Team are clearing landmines in Colombia’s Meta region, helping Indigenous communities reclaim and protect 45,000 acres of rainforest.
In Colombia’s Meta region, clearing landmines could do more than make land safe. It could help Indigenous communities reclaim their ancestral territory and protect almost 45,000 acres of rainforest for generations to come.
The HALO Trust is partnering with Rainforest Trust and the Amazon Conservation Team on a three-year project focused on 81 families living in Sol Naciente, home to the Mesetas Indigenous community, and Nuevo Milenio, home to the Uribe Indigenous community.
The communities’ land sits on the edge of protected rainforest and is vulnerable to illegal logging. The mountainous landscape, more than 3,200 feet above sea level, is also home to rare and endangered species and important ecosystems.
A path to protecting ancestral land
For the communities who live here, safe access to their land is an important first step.
Once the land is declared mine-free, the Colombian government can designate both areas as Indigenous Reserves. This would give the communities greater control over the conservation of their territory.
The project brings together mine clearance and long-term environmental protection, creating an opportunity for communities to reclaim their land while helping safeguard the rainforest that surrounds it.
Work is beginning in Sol Naciente, with the wider project running for three years.
This first-of-its-kind partnership for Rainforest Trust expands what conservation can look like. Conservation starts with people being able to safely live on, care for and defend their land. By removing landmines from these ancestral territories, this partnership will help Indigenous communities reclaim access to their lands while creating the conditions for nearly 45,000 acres of critical rainforest habitat to be protected for the long term.
Protecting land for the future
HALO, Rainforest Trust and the Amazon Conservation Team will work alongside the Indigenous communities throughout the project. The communities will play a central role, including advising HALO on where and when it is safe to work.
Following explosives clearance, HALO will provide environmental monitoring equipment and motorbikes for the Indigenous Guard. These resources will support efforts to protect the territory from illegal logging.
The three-year project costs approximately $1 million.
By clearing landmines, this partnership is opening a path for Indigenous communities to safely access and protect their ancestral lands. It is also helping create the conditions for nearly 45,000 acres of rainforest habitat to be protected for the long term.
In Meta, safe ground could become a foundation for something even greater: communities with greater control over their land, and a rainforest with a stronger future.