Colombia is just one of the initiatives run by the Italian NGO Environomica, founded to protect nature and promote sustainable development.
Protecting the environment and people, through conservation projects and sustainable rural development. This is the mission — as simple as it is revolutionary — of Environomica, a young Italian non-profit organisation that works on development projects aimed at protecting and enhancing natural environments, ecosystems and social contexts in developing countries.
In the area around Santa Marta, in Colombia, where drug traffickers have deforested large swathes of jungle for drug production, a new forest is set to rise. Environomica has launched a project involving the reforestation of an area of around 100 hectares, planting 10,000 trees a year. "Our goal is to create a forest reserve, with the help of the local community," explained Matteo Angri, co-founder and vice-president of Environomica.
The area to be reforested was chosen on account of its extraordinary biological richness and because it lies not far from the ancient archaeological site of Ciudad Perdida. "Our project also involves safeguarding this area," said Matteo Angri, "in collaboration with the international fund Global Heritage Fund. Environomica is working to create a solidarity tourism system, while the Global Heritage Fund is committed to protecting the entire archaeological site and plans to fund new excavations."
Environomica promotes a sustainable future for people and the planet, seeking to encourage the transition of local economies towards less impactful models capable of ensuring the conservation of resources and generating income. Because, at the end of the day, as the organisation's website states, "unspoilt nature is the most profitable capital there is."
The organisation, founded in 2013, also operates in Africa and in other South American countries, through its operational branches in Mozambique and Colombia.
To fund its projects, the NGO has launched the Stand4trees campaign: individuals, organisations and businesses can actively participate in Environomica's green revolution by "adopting" a tree — for just one dollar — which will then be planted in the reserve area, helping to restore the forest with native tree species.