WWN Representative for Colombia, Felipe Velasco, has this update on activities in Lake Tota, with wetland mapping, and with new approaches to how humans interact with nature.
Legal rights for a lake
Lake Tota is struggling to be confirmed as an entity subject to rights. It is still in a legal debate in a court of law, within a fundamental-rights case (called Tutela) that involves nearly 50 stakeholders with a variety of inputs and opinions about this wetland. A definition is expected to be known by this early May. Updates, in Spanish, here.
Mother Nature, North & South
WWN representative for Colombia, Felipe Velasco, is taking part in a new initiative called ‘Eagle & Condor’. It aims to bring a fresh and engaging approach to how humans should better relate to Mother Nature. It will gather debate and reflections from scientists, Indigenous People (from the North, eagle, and from the South, condor), and legal specialists, among others. It follows an old indigenous prophecy, and this time is being led by a group linked to the Rights of Wetlands declaration.
Rights of Wetlands
We brought you news of that proposed declaration on the Rights of Wetlands in December 2020. Felipe is facilitating contact between the Universal Rights of Wetlands group and the Ramsar governmental focal point in Colombia. They hope to persuade the country to officially support a Draft Resolution before the next Ramsar COP, which would call worldwide to adopt the Rights of Wetlands declaration as a tool for better wetland management. So far, the country has expressed a clear interest in the proposal, although it is still under consultation.
Wetland map
Colombia has announced an updated map of interior wetlands for the country, counting nearly 26 million hectares of the country surface – news link, from the Ministry of Environment.
