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Colombia\u2019s forests are among the world\u2019s most biodiverse, home to more bird, amphibian, and plant species than almost anywhere else on the planet. The Amazon, which blankets much of the country\u2019s southern region, plays a key role in regulating global weather patterns. Its survival \u2014 uncertain amid ongoing threats<\/a> caused by deforestation and a warming planet \u2014 is key to avoiding the worst outcomes of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rising rates of poverty and social inequality, which triggered nationwide protests in April, complicate efforts to protect these vital resources<\/a>. But here, under the canopy of the world\u2019s largest rainforest, where the shadows of Colombia\u2019s half-century long armed conflict continue to loom<\/a>, Garcia is part of a small team helping to sow the seeds of a more prosperous and equitable future, one tree at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n n 2019, Rozo, who is 40, embarked on a 400 km trek across Caquet\u00e1, earning him the moniker \u201cForest Gump of the Amazon.\u201d The journey was an opportunity to immerse himself in a region known today more for its sprawling cattle ranches, a backbone of the local economy and also a<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, Rozo, 40, embarked on a 400km trek through Caquet\u00e1, earning him the nickname the \"Amazon Forest Gump.\" The trip was an opportunity to immerse himself in a region known for its sprawling cattle ranches, the backbone of the local economy, and key driver of forest loss<\/a>. But it was also a publicity stunt of sorts, an effort to draw attention to the plight of Colombia\u2019s Amazon and to the opportunity it presents for Caquet\u00e1 and the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe Colombians have not been able to apprise ourselves of the treasure that we have in the Amazon,\u201d insists Rozo. \u201cIt has not been a priority for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deforestation in Colombia rose sharply following the signing of the peace accord with leftist FARC guerillas in 2016 as areas once off limits due to the conflict became open to rampant land grabbing. Caquet\u00e1 and neighboring departments have seen some of the highest rates of deforestation<\/a>in the country. While a slowing trend appears to be emerging<\/a> , significant challenges remain, including illegal mining, narcotics, and an expanding agricultural frontier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turning that around requires education, a key component of Escuela Bosque\u2019s mission, says Rozo, pointing to various structures across the property which in time will serve as classrooms, workshops, and lodging. Rozo envisions similar projects in other regions of the Colombian Amazon where visitors and local farmers alike can come to experience and learn about the forest\u2019s role as a source of both life and livelihood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEducation helps to raise awareness. But the kind of education we are aiming for inspires action. If I want to teach sustainability, I can\u2019t be a normal teacher. I have to be a sustainable entrepreneur.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pointing to a row of beehives that line a nearby hillside, Rozo says the honey they produce is, like all aspects of Escuela Bosque, an educational tool demonstrating the vital role bees play in the local ecosystem and, critically, their potential to generate a sustainable income for families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is the other half of the battle,\u201d Rozo says. To bring projects like Escuela Bosque to scale, sustainability needs to be economically feasible for local families. \u201cMy biggest challenge is not so much engaging with my neighbors here but getting consumers in Bogot\u00e1 and beyond to recognize their role in preserving these forests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n EII Colombia Coordinator Mar\u00eda Adelaida Fern\u00e1ndez has spent the past several years working with local stakeholders and the regional government in Caquet\u00e1 on the design and implementation of a low-emission, forest-friendly development strategy<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSustainable development is a long process. It doesn\u2019t happen overnight,\u201d says Fern\u00e1ndez. \u201cWe are building a foundation, but to strengthen it we need greater access to national and global markets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fern\u00e1ndez and her team are currently involved in several projects in Caquet\u00e1, all designed to bring more resources to the region by increasing the value of standing forests. These include efforts to improve access to credit for local cattle ranchers who are transitioning to more sustainable business models<\/a>, as well as gaining deforestation-free certification for sustainable cacao producers. The latter would ensure access to key markets that are now considering policies to limit their exposure to commodities linked to forest loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fern\u00e1ndez is also coordinating a project that aims to help the regional government in Caquet\u00e1 become eligible to sell carbon credits on the rapidly expanding global carbon market<\/a>, potentially generating valuable incentives to keep forest standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight now, the forest does not provide economic opportunity. This is all people can count on to feed their families,\u201d says Fern\u00e1ndez, pointing to Caquet\u00e1\u2019s seemingly endless expanse of cattle pasture. \u201cThey are doing what they know they can to put money in their pockets every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ascending a long flight of stairs Garcia disappears into the wall of trees that surrounds Escuela Bosque. Minutes later, sweat falling from his brow, he is crouched over a small sapling, which he carefully removes from the soil and places in a nearby container for transplant to the nursery below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under normal conditions saplings must wait for larger trees to fall, creating an opening in the canopy for much-needed sunlight to reach the forest floor, before they can grow. Garcia is accelerating this process, nurturing the saplings before replanting them in previously degraded or cleared forests, bringing life where once death prevailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/julio_rozo-768x516-1.jpg\")
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