Who we are – Fundacion Darien

OUR HISTORY

A story sown
in the heart of the Darien

Promote the conservation of biodiversity and the well-being of communities through participatory, sustainable actions connected to the territory.

To be a benchmark in the articulation between communities and nature, promoting sustainable, living and culturally diverse territories.

chronology

1980–95

Creation and consolidation of the Sasardí Nature Reserve, a national benchmark for over 30 years.
Participation in the founding of Resnatur (National Network of Civil Society Nature Reserves Association).
Initial environmental education initiatives and promotion of voluntary conservation through Civil Society Nature Reserves.
Establishment of community agreements.
Pioneering studies of migratory birds and sea turtles in the Darién region.

1996–2010

Expansion of the RNSC model and organizational strengthening with Indigenous authorities and Afro-descendant community councils.
Design and support for land-use planning, internal statutes, and social agreements.
Formulation of a proposal for the creation of a System of Protected Areas in the Northern Darién region of Chocó, including the generation of ecological and social information, mapping, and community and inter-institutional coordination processes.
Technical support for the declaration of the Acandí-Playona Wildlife Sanctuary (SFF Acandí-Playona) as a national protected area.
Implementation of structured ecological monitoring.

2011–2020

Support for the Ungandí Reserves Network Association (which currently serves as a network of voluntary reserves in Darién and northern Chocó) and coordination of the Reservoir Reserves Node in Eastern Antioquia.
Ecological restoration projects, participatory monitoring, and environmental education.
Institutional strengthening through partnerships with environmental agencies, universities, and regional organizations.
CORNARE (Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Negro and Nare River Basins)
PRODEPAZ (Eastern Antioquia Development and Peace Program)
EPM (Medellín Public Utilities Company)
Medellín Botanical Garden
University of Antioquia (UdeA)
Implementation of cooperation agreements with National Natural Parks (PNN).

2020–present

Applied research using GIS (Geographic Information Systems), ecological restoration, and biodiversity monitoring.
Technical participation in the UNESCO declaration of the Darién Norte Chocoano Biosphere Reserve.
PNN-FONAM (National Environmental Fund) agreement for strengthening the Antioquia Departmental System of Protected Areas (SIDAP Antioquia).
Expansion into transitional Andean landscapes in Eastern Antioquia, with an emphasis on restoration, environmental education, and socio-environmental governance.
Incorporation of Other Effective Conservation Measures (OMECs), with two reports in progress.