Invitation Sayings For Twin 3rd Birthday

Colombia's indigenous transmitted message

Representatives of indigenous Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco and Kankuamo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia starting today (September 6, 2006) in Washington a visit to spread a message of warning about the needs of ecosystem and call for international support to establish a Territorial Building Fund which serves to restore universal balance.

This proposal, built within the indigenous organizations of the Sierra and under the direct leadership of mamos and spiritual leaders, has been supported by the Inter-American Development Bank and United Nations Program for Development agencies that facilitated the visit to United States.

Today Wednesday, September 6 from 2:00 pm will be the forum "A message from the heart of the world" in the auditorium Enrique V. Churches of the IDB in Washington. There

will meet IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno, the Director of the Sustainable Development Department of the IDB, Antonio Vives, the UNDP Resident Representative in Colombia, Bruno Moro, and indigenous representatives of the Sierra : mamas Gabriel Villafañe Izquierdo (Arhuaco) and Jacinto Zaragata (Kogi), who do not speak English; Arregocés Conchacala Zaragata (Kogi), Jose Gabriel Limaco Dindula (Kogi), Julio Alberto Torres (Governor of the Cabildo, Arhuaco) and Danilo Arweimaku Villafaña (Arhuaco).

The Forum will be followed by an exhibition and a reception at the IDB headquarters.

Additionally, indigenous representatives will meet in Washington with personalities from the business world and American politics, as well as experts and students in the American Indian Museum, Georgetown University and the Museum of Natural History.

On Friday the New York travel to the United Nations headquarters where they will have a meeting with Jan Eliasson, President of the 60th session General Assembly.

This historic visit, which for some of the delegates for their indigenous peoples is the first trip outside its territory, has great significance: first the message from the people Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco and Kankuamo leave Colombia to explain why the inhabitants of the "heart of the world," the Sierra Nevada is crucial, "sanitize" these territories as a necessary step to protect the planet from the balance of the universe. To that end, we have proposed setting up a fund for the consolidation of land, enabling them to acquire traditional lands and sacred sites that they consider vital to their life project and the universal balance:


"Since time immemorial, the sacred territory of the Sierra Nevada has been the foundation of our culture. It contains the laws and symbols that define our way of thinking and our identity.

Everyone should follow these rules and laws to safeguard the universe. The territory must be sustained through daily activities that allow the reproduction of culture and all its components.

In this sense, the concept of traditional owners of the land is based on the knowledge of all that lives in the territory, in other words, nature shows how to live in harmony. It is an open book where we learn their stories and their past, and this is what they will learn our children and future generations.

knowledge depends on the careful study of each meaning of the earth and allows us to recall the role of our ancestors and the true meaning of each individual and their mission, not as Indians but as human beings responsible for caring for the planet is threatened when it leaves the sense of responsibility. "

These indigenous people have set themselves the objective of recovering additional 338.000 hectares of their traditional territory in a period of 20 years.

Currently, the Sierra is home to approximately 220,000 non-indigenous population. The loss of their ancestral lands, the usurpation of areas whose title currently belongs to them, the advance of the agricultural frontier, illegal crops and armed conflict in Colombia have contributed to the destruction of 72 percent of original forest area, the reduction of rivers and streams, loss of biodiversity and soil erosion.

These factors threaten the future of this country and its people and threaten water resources they depend on 1.5 million people and the agribusiness and tourism in the region.

Despite considerable progress in recent decades to create reserves to safeguard the land rights of indigenous groups, only one third of their ancestral territory (6 million hectares) have legal protection.

Land that to date have been legally returned to the indigenous peoples have experienced a significant environmental renewal which has improved the living conditions of indigenous people.

Of the territory acquired by legalization and expansion, 70 percent is devoted exclusively to natural regeneration and conservation ecosystem.

The message that representatives of the Kogi, Wiwa, Arawak and Kankuamo lead the United States and explains: "Our strategy for territorial recovery has not only to maintain our culture and the strengthening of tradition but which has allowed natural regeneration of ecosystems and the maintenance of water sources that have benefited the development of our western neighbors.

In the lowland areas surrounding the Sierra Nevada, live near two million people, whose lives and economy depend on the waters of the rivers. " This process has been essential to shaping in 1999 the Territorial Council of Indigenous Councils of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, which facilitates dialogue with the state and society regarding the management of traditional lands.

According to the mythology of the peoples of the Sierra, the rise of the world also appeared on Kagga (Kogi), the Wintukwas (Arhuaco), the Wiwa (Sanka) and Kakatukwa (Kankwamo), each one at each end of the four cardinal points. In Gonawindua emerged as central axis and center in the world. It is to them of four brothers whose mission is to balance the universe.

What's Casio's Backlight Like?

ecosystem conservation Bolivia ...

Bolivia has 12 ecoregions (with several subecoregiones) and thousands of ecosystems. Some of these ecosystems are of particular value and importance for conservation to be centers of biological diversity, endemism and their condition or degree of threat.

These ecosystems are eg the rain forests of the Amazon and Andean forests.

According to still incomplete surveys and inventories in the country were reported so far around 14,000 species of native plants from seeds (not including ferns, mosses, algae), but it is estimated that more than 20,000 species. In addition, known more than 1,200 species of ferns and over 1,500 species of liverworts and mosses. Although the inventory of fungi is very preliminary, and approximately 800 known species.

In Bolivia there have been 356 species of mammals, about 1,400 species of birds, 203 species of amphibians, 266 reptiles and about 600 species of fish.

is co ognize at least 100 endemic species of vertebrates.

probably 20-25% of vascular plants (about 4000-5000 spp.) Could be restricted to the country, which implies a special responsibility to Bolivia.

endemism of plants and animals are concentrated in a few ecoregions related to the Andes, Yungas, Inter-Andean Dry Forests and Sub-Andean Belt.

Given this wealth, in the international context, Bolivia is a country "mega-diverse."

It is among the ten countries with the highest number of species of vertebrates.

Possibly ranks fourth among the world's richest countries of butterflies.

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is also among the top ten with highest diversity of birds and mammals, among the eleven most diverse freshwater fish and among the thirteen most wealth species of amphibians and tiger beetles.

Moreover, about 50 known native species domesticated about 3,000 species of medicinal plants used locally or regionally. Bolivia is the center of origin of important species as chillies, peppers, peppers, potatoes, peanuts, beans, cassava and palm variety.

This wide range of unique biological resources in the world, is currently endangered and at risk of disappearing due to factors resulting from population pressure caused by habitat destruction as a result of deforestation, burning, pollution and use of biodiversity beyond its capacity.

Selective extraction of species, illegal hunting and loss of genetic variability at the level of agro-biodiversity due to the replacement of local varieties by introduced species are turn other determinants of this crisis. Areas of the Amazon basin are rich in species, have high resilience are dynamic and are characterized by widespread species.

In contrast, some Andean areas have restricted range species, partly coinciding with areas of high human pressure, especially transition zones in the upper parts of the central valleys.

Ecoregions that, throughout history, have had major impacts are the Puna, and the Inter-Andean Dry Forests.

On biogeographical importance, fragility and potential are a priority p o conservation of intact ecosystems, especially large, as the lowland forests of north eastern slopes, and large intact ecosystems related to hydro-climatic processes such as rain forests of southwestern Yungas and the Amazon, the centers species richness and endemism, as the Yungas, Sub-Andean Amazonian Forests and Inter-Andean Dry Forests, centers of diversity of wild relatives of economic and biological corridors.

While it is important to identify priorities at the ecoregions and ecosystems, to detect threats that affect a large number of resources, is also necessary to consider particular endangered species.

Currently there are hundreds of species of flora and fauna in different categories of threat, although experts have not yet reached a consensus on this issue. Also, many "relatives" of domesticated wild are uncertain situation regarding its condition.

Finally, the status of key areas for conservation of the genetic resources in situ, is poorly understood and not considered in policies and standards. The instrument in situ conservation more important now, is the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP), whose main objective is the strategic conservation of representative samples of components of biodiversity, both in quantity (area) and quality (condition).

There are dozens of protected areas, partly created formal and legal manner, and partially are uncertain status. 21 areas make up the SNAP, 17 of whom are in management and are linked with more than 60 municipalities.

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These protected areas cover a total of over 175,000 km2, equivalent to 17% of the land area of \u200b\u200bthe country. There ecosystems well represented in the SNAP, such as húmeods montane forests of the Yungas, the rainforests of the Gaza Sub-Andean and Chaco ecosystems. However, there are still absent in the SNAP ecosystems requiring special protection.

Many protected areas were created in an arbitrary and bear no significant biological values, so that should be recategorized or disused. On the other hand, many important areas for conservation, biodiversity saved locally aggregate relictual distribution with high levels of endemism are adjacent to densely populated areas with high population pressure and outside areas protected.

Despite the notable efforts to conserve ecosystems broad national interest, has not been enriched with areas of importance SNAP departmental and municipal levels.

Thus, there is a need to develop alternative mechanisms that protect local areas of interest within and outside the SNAP.

Although there is a special system of protected areas, currently the structure is still weak relative to other elements of conservation and natural resource management.

hardly been taken into account factors such as rescue and conservation traditional knowledge on natural resource management, use of appropriate agricultural technologies and poverty of local populations, which exert more pressure on these resources, to meet their basic needs.

Thus we have identified that the most important municipalities of the top 14 protected areas have a population growth rate higher than the national growth rate and well above the growth rate in rural areas.

An important strategic component of protected areas is the potential for environmental services and sustainable use of resources biodiversity in the framework of categorization and zoning.

It is therefore important to strengthen mechanisms for participation, as management committees, which currently operate with some limitations and shortcomings. Another fa ctor that limit the proper use of biodiversity resources concerning conservation instruments are not sufficiently articulated to the Zoning Plan and national planning system in general.

This problem does not permit them to guide strategic planning and sector based on the types of potential use and recommended land and the establishment of standards for proper utilization of natural resources.

planning is required of land use national, departmental, municipal and community that includes the proper conservation of biodiversity.
On the other hand, gene banks, created in order to safeguard the species of origin and domestication from Bolivia, who are more susceptible to genetic erosion and to complement in situ conservation actions, presented issues related to lack of legal definition of rights institutions on genetic resources, lack of sufficient financial resources to ensure long-term conservation term dependency on external resources needed for maintenance.

fauna collections and herbaria, mainly responsible for the inventory of national biodiversity, also have management problems associated especially with the lack of infrastructure, trained personnel and lack of sustainable financing policies.

Texts, maps and photos extracted from: Ministry of Sustainable Development and Planning
(Editors: Mérida, G., M. Oliveira & PL Ibisch) 2003. National Biodiversity Strategy
Bolivia. Executive Summary. Editorial FAN, Santa Cruz.
(ISBN 99905-66-20-8). Bolivia