After one year of implementation, Chiribiquete legacy landscape program has reached significant progress regarding environmental and social action plan (ESAP) required measures. As of May 2025, 65% of foreseen measures are well underway, 6% have been implemented, 25% have been initiated, and 4% have not started.
Stakeholder engagement plan
- Socializing the program with strategic stakeholders and a broader audience has been a top priority. It has been introduced to key actors, including over 100 representatives from national, departmental, and municipal entities, NGOs, local community organizations, and all the Indigenous territories within the program area. Coordination is ongoing with key NGOs working in the landscape to avoid duplication of efforts and optimize interventions.
- A stakeholder engagement plan is currently being developed. Beyond just sharing information, the plan aims to promote active involvement from stakeholders to support and strengthen the governance model of the Chiribiquete landscape.
- In collaboration with other actors, the “Chiribiquete Table” has been established as a coordination platform that brings together institutions and NGOs working in the protected area and its area of influence with the goal of enhancing collaboration and joint action.
- Five local liaisons from Indigenous and campesino communities have been hired to support program implementation in their respective territories.
- Ongoing coordination with oversight entities, such as the General Procurator’s Office aims to draw attention to the institutions regarding deforestation drivers, particularly illegal roads.
- Prioritized actions have been agreed upon with the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH) regarding joint interventions to enhance the knowledge and engagement of the institutions in Guaviare about isolated Indigenous groups and the management of La Lindosa archeological sites.
Indigenous Peoples' Rights
- Authorities from four Indigenous territories gave written consent to program’s implementation and environmental and social safeguards development in their territories.
- Strategic work plans have been co-developed and implemented in coordination with the authorities of three Indigenous territories. These plans are based on the communities’ own planning instruments and governance structures.
- Following several months of collaborative work, protocols on engagement and effective, intercultural participation (a term agreed upon with Indigenous authorities to refer to the FPIC protocols) have been developed and formalized with two Indigenous territories. These protocols are rooted in the Indigenous governance systems and customary planning instruments. It is expected that the development of these protocols will continue with the other Indigenous territories.
- With de program’s support, an agreement of will was signed between Colombia’s National Parks Authority (Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia -PNNC)) and the El Itilla Indigenous Resguardo, to safeguard their relationship as authorities. The agreement aims to facilitate the joint development of a management instrument for the overlapping territories of El Itilla and Chiribiquete National Park.
Land access and use
- A significant multitemporal analysis of landscape transformation since the most recent expansion of the National Park has been carried out.
- An external consultant has been hired to develop a first approach to the process framework to identify the different types of occupation within the park and to propose strategies for addressing these situations in the complex context of armed conflict.
Human rights and security risks
- A human rights training has been implemented for all protected area staff, covering topics related to human rights in conservation and self-protection measures in high-risk contexts.
- All strategic work plans developed with Indigenous territories include training sessions on human rights, with a focus on topics identified by the communities themselves. To date, one training session has been conducted with the El Itilla territory.
- The 2024 and 2025 annual operating plans were planned and implemented considering current limitations on field access due to the Colombian armed conflict.
- As a result of a consultancy focused on risk management, a field mission security manual was developed for Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) Colombia.
- The program’s grievance mechanism is currently being developed.
Gender
- In line with the program’s gender approach and its commitment to progressively closing gender gaps in recruitment, 50% of the personnel hired by the program are women, thanks to the implementation of ESAP measures designed to address gender inequalities in recruitment processes, such as fair, transparent, and gender-sensitive selection processes. Beyond the numbers, these efforts contribute to creating space for diverse perspectives, strengthening the legitimacy of processes, and fostering more inclusive and balanced leadership.
- A “situated gender” approach has been applied with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities—recognizing culturally specific roles and spaces of all genders. This approach has helped to create conditions that encourage the effective participation of recognized women leaders and associations. One of the key lines of action in the strategic work plans with Indigenous territories explicitly addresses the interests and concerns of women and youth.