Colombia’s largest national park awarded World Heritage status

The United Nations has awarded the Chiribiquete national park in Colombia a World Heritage Site.

The remote region of the rainforest is the largest protected area in the country and hosts a unique array of wildlife and ancient indigenous paintings.

Colombia’s President, Juan Manuel Santos, visited the area this week and announced a further 3.7 million acres will come under Government protection. This expands the park by 50 percent to cover a region 17,000 square miles across; an area larger than Switzerland, and now one of the largest national parks in the whole of South America.

The Andes Amazon Fund and the Bobolink Foundation have pledged $1 million to support the implementation of the expanded park.

The President said on Twitter that Chiribiquete was “a jewel in the continental crown for biodiversity and a sacred indigenous centre”.

The region is known for its unique table-top mountains which dominate the forest with sheer-sides formed by sandstone.  There are also 75,000 paintings dotted all over the mountain walls dating back over 20,000 years.

"This is a milestone for the Amazon and for the conservation of forests worldwide. It is also a decisive moment for the protection of strategic ecosystems in Colombia ", explains Mary Lou Higgins, Director of WWF-Colombia.

"Chiribiquete is very special because of its biological, cultural, hydrological and archaeological value. It has rock art and visual records of extraordinary magnitude. It is also vital importance for indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation. The extension and recognition of this place as a World Heritage Site is an important step to ensure its maintenance for future generations. "

Andes Amazon Fund Executive Director Dr. Adrian Forsyth, commented: “Colombia holds many of the highest biodiversity records of any country on Earth. With the expansion of Chiribiquete, Colombia has shown that it has a conservation commitment that matches its biodiversity value.”

Earlier this year, neighbouring Peru also placed a vast area of its Amazon rainforest under protection. The Yaguas National Park was expanded by 2 million acres to preserve its extraordinary biodiversity, including 550 separate species of freshwater fish.