Fragile ecosystems in the Colombian Andes are particularly susceptible to human intervention. They exhibit a unique diversity of species that have so far avoided extinction, but are often reduced to small fragments of surviving forest.

However, these forest patches cannot guarantee the long-term survival of niche-restricted and endemic species, especially as what forest remains continues to be destroyed.

For this reason, ProAves has focused its conservation efforts towards saving the last remnants of key habitat through our Protected Areas Program which has proved to be highly successful.

The sites selected by ProAves to protect correspond to areas identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE), an alliance of over 70 conservation NGOs around the world of which ProAves is member. A total of 48 of the 595 most important sites for the conservation of threatened species are within Colombia and the majority are without any or sufficient protection.

Through research, ProAves has prioritized those AZE sites and established five new Bird Reserves in 2006. These five reserves protect 15 globally threatened bird species (1 Critically Endangered, 6 Endangered and 8 Vulnerable) and more than 15 threatened amphibians (many solely known from the reserves).

These important actions have been possible thanks to the support of organizations like American Bird Conservancy, Loro Parque Fundación, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global Conservation Fund, and Conservation International as well as of Colombian official institutions like the Administrative Unit of Natural National Parks of Colombia, the Mayor of Génova, Quindío, and the environmental regional corporations of Antioquia, Tolima, Quindío, Caldas, Atlántico, Magdalena, Santander, Cauca, Boyacá, Nariño and San Andrés y Providencia.

ProAves aims to help and contribute to the recovering of ecosystems of bird’s species under threat in Colombia. By working together with local communities in zones of influence of our programs, we had helped to provide opportunities for training and ways to improve the use of natural resources.

ProAves has implemented different conservation tools as follows:

Tree nursery

Reforestation

Workshops for community

Reserves network - Reservas de la Sociedad Civil

Ecological easements

Women for conservation

If you want to visit our reserves, visit Ecoturs.

If you want to support our conservation activities around Colombia please donate on line or write to fundacion @ proaves.org