The Fundación Humedales, in cooperation with the International Climate Initiative (IKI) in the framework of the Living Lakes Biodiversity and Climate project, is leading a pioneering process of productive and environmental transformation with the Biodiversity Performance Tool (BPT) methodology in two of the most emblematic watersheds in Colombia: Fúquene and Tota.
The project, which combines research, training and field action, is positioned as a national benchmark in sustainable watershed management.
Fúquene: sustainable livestock farming in the basin
Laguna de Fúquene, located between the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, has historically been surrounded by dairy farms. This activity, although essential to the local economy, generates pressures on the ecosystem. For this reason, Fundación Humedales decided to focus its intervention on this productive practice.
With the support of the National Federation of Cattle Ranchers (Fedegán), four pilot farms were identified in the watershed, where a tool originally designed for coffee cultivation was adapted. This restructuring included the creation of specific questionnaires for livestock farming, as well as analysis matrices for biodiversity action plans.
The measures implemented on these farms range from the conservation of native vegetation and the installation of live fences to the protection of water sources and integrated water resource management.
In the livestock area, we promoted the proper management of pastures, the reduction of pesticides and herbicides, and the efficient use of fertilizers. Currently, the third monitoring cycle is being completed, with positive results in terms of sustainability and replicability.
Tota: long onion withorganicroots
In Lake Tota, located in the department of Boyacá, the predominant activity is the cultivation of long onions. There, the work was developed in partnership with the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation (Agrosavia), also identifying four pilot farms to adapt the BPT methodology to the agricultural context.
The approach was similar to that of Fúquene: redesign tools, apply questionnaires and build action plans that integrate biodiversity with productivity.
In both basins there is a double challenge: to conserve a high mountain ecosystem while maintaining the competitiveness of two essential products for the region and at the national level (in the case of the long onion).
Community training: 25 producers per watershed
Beyond the pilot farms, the project expanded to training 25 farmers in each watershed through five theoretical and practical workshops.
These spaces not only served to train, but also to generate collective awareness. Participants began to understand that conservation does not mean giving up production, but learning how to do it better. The BPT methodology became a tool for dialogue between traditional knowledge and technical knowledge.
Extensionists: strengthening thetechnicalbridge
Another key component is the work with extensionists: professionals and technologists who accompany producers from municipalities, companies or institutions. Although many of them have extensive experience in agricultural and livestock productivity, they tend to have no knowledge of environmental issues.
For this reason, specific workshops were designed to strengthen their capacities in biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainability. The goal is for these professionals to be able to have more in-depth conversations with producers, integrating environmental criteria into their technical recommendations. Although the process has not yet concluded with this group, progress is promising.
Towards an application for biodiversity in the agricultural sector
All this work – pilot farms, workshops and institutional alliances – is laying the groundwork for the development of an application. This tool will make it possible to manage future projects in a more agile and massive way, facilitating the implementation of biodiversity action plans directly in the field.
The application will be a platform for knowledge, follow-up and articulation, where producers, extensionists and organizations will be able to interact, share experiences and scale good practices. The vision is clear: to transform the relationship between production and conservation, from the local to the national level.
Wetlands as innovation territories
What is happening in the Fúquene and Tota basins is not an isolated experiment. It is a demonstration that wetlands can be territories of innovation, where biodiversity and productivity are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually reinforcing.
With adapted methodologies, strategic alliances and community training, it is possible to build a replicable model for other ecosystems in the country.
For the Wetlands Foundation, transformation begins with dialogue: between science and the field, between institutions and communities, between water and land.
