Fundación Natura

Fundación Natura: 38 years working to transform society's bound with nature towards more sustainable ways of living

In 1983, a group of people interested in environmental issues created a non-profit civil environmental organization to contribute to the conservation of Colombia's natural heritage and its ecological functions, as well as to the wellbeing of the local communities who depend on them. At its early stages, Fundación Natura's mission focused on the restoration and conservation of the most natural areas to safeguard habitats and ecosystems of endangered, endemic, and emblematic species, among others. Also, they worked to support the ways of living of local communities who are in direct relationship with nature.

In almost four decades of continuous work, the organization has consolidated and directed its efforts towards a socio-ecological approach that recognizes the close relationship between humans and nature. Thus, Fundación Natura is a renowned organization in the country, and is committed to the conservation of the nation's natural wealth, not only because of its great diversity, but also because it provides important ecosystem services for the Colombian society as a whole.

Throughout the years, the organization has witnessed significant achievements at the national level relating to ecosystem protection, as well as advances in recognizing and safeguarding the ethnic and cultural diversity of ancestral territories. It has also attended to the significant role played by civil society in the integral management of biodiversity and its ecosystem services.

However, in nearly 40 years of work, the environmental problems have increased dramatically, in some cases beyond any possible manoeuvre to address them. The efforts of organizations and individuals who focus on environmental protection are at a disadvantage with results that are not always guaranteed. This is because many ecological and social systems face not only thresholds of irreversible change, but also development priorities that, within a more conventional approach, have subordinated the increasingly urgent need to elevate biodiversity and ecosystems to their rightful status in national life in order to cope. with environmental change.

This situation has challenged Fundación Natura to constantly adapt its approach, broaden its strategies, and build alliances with development sectors, local communities, and society in general to recover and protect biodiversity and its ecosystem services in a holistic manner.

In 2020, due to COVID-19, national and international environmental and development agendas were altered, and the harmful relationship between people and nature became obvious. The pandemic showed that, now more than ever, this bound must be transformed into a more sustainable one.

The aspects mentioned above guide the work of Fundación Natura, which updated its Strategic Plan to achieve the goal of having a better country and to protect our natural heritage and indigenous peoples and local communities that depend on it.

In a comprehensive way the new Strategic Plan 2020-2025 seeks to support local, national and international environmental and development initiatives, through five strategic objectives: (i) to conserve and restore biodiversity and its benefits to society in order to maintain the resilience of socio -ecological systems facing environmental change; (ii) to promote and strengthen inclusive, participatory and informed governance systems for decision-making in the territories; (iii) to promote human and sectoral development with a focus on sustainability in order to ensure human well-being, ecological integrity and the conservation of biodiversity and its benefits for society; iv) to consolidate environmental communication as a strategy to support knowledge management, social awareness of biodiversity, and social appropriation of environmental issues;