Daabon continues to
work towards the protection and care of our High Conservation Value
areas
(HCV).
As part of our
efforts to conserve biodiversity, and in compliance with our
corporate
environmental policies, Daabon has been working on various studies
to identify
and classify the land and sea ecosystems found within the areas of
influence of
our productive projects. These studies allow us to determine the
best way to
support protection of the wild flora and fauna, especially those
species
categorized at a local, national and/or international level as rare,
threatened
or in danger of extinction, and that have been classified by Daabon
as HCV
areas.
In 2018 we focused
our environmental activities on the conservation of land and sea
turtles:
releasing turtles, reforestation of riparian corridors (interfaces
between land
and a natural body of water) and cleaning up rivers, beaches and
seabeds.
At Daabon’s
Tequendama farm, located in the Aracataca municipality, 100
Chelonoidis
Carbonaria turtles (commonly known as “Morrocoy” or “Morrocoya”)
were
released. These turtles were rescued by
environmental authorities from animal traffickers. Thanks to a
collective
effort with the authorities, the turtles were moved and released
into the
conservation areas of our farm; a natural habitat for the Morrocoya
where they
can find shelter and food.
Sea turtles were
also released, under the framework of the Interinstitutional
Convention signed
by Daabon Group and the Sea Museum Foundation to support the Turtle
and Marine
Mammal Conservation Project. In 2018, 450 sea turtles (Canguama
species) were
released at Mendiguaca Beach and Don Diego Beach, with the
participation of
environmental authorities, local citizens and fishermen. The goal of
this
project is to contribute to the recuperation of the populations of
sea turtles
that move through the Santa Marta region (Santa Marta Bay and
adjacent
beaches), through the ongoing implementation of on-site and off-site
conservation strategies.
In order to enhance
the biodiversity in the conservation area of the Daabon Group and in
other
natural areas of regional interest, which include the riparian
corridors of the
Aracataca River, Fundación River and the Ariguaní River, a
reforestation plan
has been developed using native species, such as caracolí
(Anacardium
excelsum), ceiba bonga (Ceiba pentandra), carreto (Inga edulis),
camajon
(Sterculia apetala), ebano (Caesalpina ebano) and cedro (Cedrela
odorata), to
enhance biodiversity conservation. Reforestation activities have
also been
developed for mangroves at the mouth of the Gaira River and Bureche
Stream in
Santa Marta.
The activities
carried out for the protection of turtles were complemented with
cleanups of
rivers, beaches, and seabeds in the city of Santa Marta. Cleanup of
the mouth
of the Gaira River and Bureche Stream was supported by the
Bachaqueros
Foundation, and cleanup of the beaches and seabeds of Santa Marta
Bay was
supported by the Akwamare Foundation, with participation from
environmental and
marine authorities, Daabon Group employees and the community at
large, whose
end goal is to raise awareness at a local level about the impact of
plastics
and other residues on ecosystems and marine species.