Host of COP16, Colombia is bearing the brunt of the fall in biodiversity – rts.ch

You only need to go a few kilometers from Cali to observe the impact of human activities on wildlife. About an hour’s drive from the COP16 host city is Yumbo, a town of 100,000 inhabitants which lives in the heart of the hills. It is known for being the industrial capital of the Valle du Cauca region. More than 2000 factories are installed there.

Holes in the hills left by agriculture and urbanization are visible all along the way. For several years, researchers in the region have been assessing the impact on wild animals.

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Wilmar Bolivar Garcia, a biologist at the University of Valle in Cali, captures the presence of wild animals at the forest border using a sound recorder. In La Matinale de la RTS, he says he expects from COP 16 concrete solutions to protect wildlife.

Several species that I observed here 25 years ago have disappeared, I no longer see them

“The acoustic landscape and sound recording project makes it possible to monitor the presence of wildlife. Thus, we can better understand the impact of drought or floods on wildlife,” explains the researcher.

“For example, we now speak of a silent forest when we no longer hear the animals because they have disappeared. We then speak of local extinction. It is already happening in these forests where we are. Moreover, several species that I observed here 25 years ago have disappeared. I no longer see them.”

The challenge of illegal trafficking

Illegal trafficking poses another threat to wild animals. The city of Cali is a strategic site for this type of trafficking, as it is at a road junction and close to the Pacific coast.

In the Cali wildlife rehabilitation center, monkeys, felines or rare birds are regularly intercepted at the airport or on private property. Nicolas Melo, head of the Department of Environmental Management’s wildlife IVC group, takes stock of the past year.

“We have made around 2,100 rescues this year and 90 seizures of illegally trafficked animals. Most of the seizures were made by the national police and around 64 were made by environmental authorities.”

The majority of animals arriving here have been purchased illegally to be pets.

This year, hundreds of animals were reintroduced into the wild. But many will not be able to be released, warns Andres Posada, coordinator of the “El hogar de paso” wildlife reception and promotion center.

“The majority of animals that arrive here were purchased through illegal trafficking to be pets. Now, these are animals that are basically doomed, because they can no longer live in the wild. These animals are going to end their lives. life in a cage, either in a zoo or in a center where they will be part of a repopulation program for the species.”

Breeding program

To mitigate the impact of illegal trafficking, the Cali Zoological Park Foundation has chosen to implement a unique breeding program for the Lhemanni frog, a species endemic to Colombia. Carlos Galvis, the foundation’s biologist, reconstructs the ecosystem of these frogs in terrariums.

“So far, 150 frogs have been reintroduced into the wild. The last ones, 21 exactly, were released 15 days ago. All species must be protected. We must not wait until the last moment to act,” warned the biologist.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, an estimated 95% of wildlife has disappeared over the past 50 years. Now all eyes are on COP16 in the hope of improving things.

Hit Benrabaa/asch