Deep in Colombia’s Guaviare, where the lush green of the rainforest meets the ancient stories of Indigenous peoples, the Dabucury REDD+ Project flourishes. This conservation initiative, led by six Indigenous communities, protects 115,746 hectares of tropical forest.
Since 2019, the Indigenous reserves of Vuelta del Alivio, Yavilla II, Puerto Nare, Barranquillita, Lagos El Dorado, Lagos del Paso, and El Remanso —home to peoples such as the Tukanos, Desanos, Wananos, Piratapuyo, Kubeo, Carijona, and Tikuna— have actively participated in this project, which seeks to halt deforestation, safeguard biodiversity, and strengthen community autonomy.
Cultivating conservation
The Dabucury REDD+ Project, under the BioCarbon standard, has verified more than 2,516,802 tons of CO2 and driven forest conservation alongside sustainable productive initiatives such as cacao and caña panelera cultivation, which strengthen the local economy. It also protects emblematic Amazonian species such as the jaguar, danta, pava, and primates like the mono tití, maicero, and cariblanco. Its success is rooted in broad community participation, which has reinforced governance, trained youth in forest monitoring, and consolidated collective decision-making spaces with the active presence of ancestral knowledge keepers.
Reviving the cultural knowledge of the Carijona people
During this period, the Dabucury REDD+ Project has promoted the “Subsidio al Adulto Mayor y Escuela de Saberes” program, a cultural recovery process led by the Carijona elders to preserve traditions that have shaped their identity for generations. This initiative engaged 160 participants who learned from elders the ancestral knowledge of the region:
- Traditional gastronomy: Women share their expertise in preparing traditional drinks such as chicha de chontaduro, chicha de ñame, chicha de casabe quemado, and fruit juices. In the kitchen, they prepare typical dishes such as carne muquiado, pescado muquiado, quiñapira, and cochi de muquiado.
- Carijona crafts and dances: Elders transmit their knowledge in the creation of crafts and traditional dances such as el gavilán, la mariposa, el chulo, and la melena del corroncho, integrating youth and visitors who participate by playing carrizos (traditional wind instruments from the area).
- Healing knowledge: During monitoring activities, elders share their knowledge about medicinal plants from the reserve and their therapeutic uses.
Paths to the future
With a duration of 30 years, this project sets a clear path toward a development model based on climate justice, respect for biocultural diversity, and the direct territorial action of Indigenous peoples. At The Community Forests, we believe that Dabucury REDD+ is living proof of how protecting the planet can align with the dignity and well-being of communities.
🔗 Learn more: www.thecommunityforests.com
📷 Photos: @nikolasjacob, @thecommunityforests, and the community
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