Page 34 - Corporate Responsibility Report 2018

32 2018 Corporate Responsibility Report
It is expected
that the actions developed by NaturAmazonas will contribute
to reducing deforestation in the Amazonian foothills by at least 20% by 2021.
Perspective: CORPOAMAZONIA
Luis Alexander Mejía Bustos is the Director of CORPOAMAZONIA, the regional environmental authority charged with regulations governing utilization of the natural resources in the south of Colombia. The institution works with Gran Tierra on permitting and licensing activities as well as environmental management regulations and coordinating voluntary investments to align with other efforts to maximize impacts.
“Deforestation is the biggest environmental challenge faced in Putumayo today. It leads to a loss of the biodiversity and different ecosystemic services such as weather regulation, dynamic equilibrium, soil integrity, and support for flora, fauna, and culture. If deforestation isn’t stopped or reversed, we will see more poverty, migration, desertification. So we need to explore sustainable value chains and incentives for environmental services. Gran Tierra has been a pioneer in terms of working strategically in Putumayo with concern for the environment. The Costayaco Forestry Center and NaturAmazonas Nuclei of
Reconciliation with Nature are the main hubs of our conservation, education and restoration efforts in the area. With GTE we have a visionary process, and we hope to apply the model to scale up these efforts with other companies who often follow GTE’s lead.” – Luis Alexander Mejía Bustos, Director, CORPOAMAZONIA