Habitat Bank of Meta
First in Colombia and Latin America
With a private investment of 1.5 million dollars, in December 2016 the first Habitat Bank in Colombia and Latin America was launched.
The project is located in the town of San Martín de los Llanos Meta´s Department, in the sub-basin of Metica River, and is an important project for the conservation of the “morichal” forests and savannas of Orinoco’s region, ecosystems that are essential for the conservation of water resources and regional development.
To ensure effective offsets, it is expected that Meta´s Habitat Bank will secure permanent and sustainable conservation results for a 30 years term.
In this way, it will be possible to achieve the restoration of degraded ecosystems and the conservation of the natural forest. Finally, it aims to reduce the costs of biodiversity offset for companies, which would be reflected in a highly profitable investment, which guarantees the sustainability of the property.
Below is a video that briefly explains how Meta´s Habitat Bank works:
First Habitat Bank for Colombia
Meta´s Habitat Bank It is the first of these mechanisms to obtain registration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MinAmbient). This is an indispensable requirement to comply with the actions derived from obligations such as environmental offsets and the mandatory investment of no less than 1%. This registration was completed on November 10, 2017, as registered in official letter number DBD-8201-E2-2017-034514 of the Ministry of the Environment's Forestry Division. This procedure was carried out in accordance with the provisions of theResolution 1051 of 2007, which indicates the necessary requirements for the implementation of Habitat Banks in the country.
If your work, project or activity is located in any of the blue areas of the maps that appear on the side, you can comply with your environmental obligations derived from mandatory investments of no less than 1% or biodiversity loss offsets, both mandatory and voluntary, in this Habitat Bank.
For additional information you can contact us or leave your questions through Contact tab.
Importance
of the area
selected
With the implementation of this Habitat Bank,601.84 hectares of natural forests and savannas of the Orinoquía will be protected, strongly affected ecosystems in the region, which are susceptible to continue being transformed, becausethey have a very low or null representation within the national system of protected areas.
Currently the area where the Bank is located has natural forests in a good state of conservation, making there ahigh potential for natural regeneration and a great opportunity for restoration. The open areas of natural savannah have been protected for more than a decade without carrying out any type of activity in them, a very important fact, considering that currently there are only a few areas of savanna where livestock farming practices are not carried out, activities which affect the natural dynamics of the ecosystem.
Species of conservation importance
According to secondary information and the baseline characterization carried out, in this Habitat Bankwe are protecting more than 160 species of vertebrates such as, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, as well as 38 species of fish that take advantage of the many microhabitats in this project that function as a refuge for feeding and reproduction.
This Bank serves as a habitat for at least 2 endemic species,40 species that are listed in one of the CITES appendixes and 8 species listed in some of the IUCN threat categories. Some relevant records are Lowland Tapir (Tapirus Terrestris) which is found at the national level in a critical state of conservation and the "cacao de monte" (Pachira speciosa) an endemic plant species.
Learn about the experience of the Rey Zamuro- Matarredonda Natural Reserve landowners in the process of joining the Habitat Bank!
“Habitat Banks are economically profitable”
Interview: Gladys Tamayo. July, 2021
Gladys Tamayo is part of a family that has been dedicated to cattle ranching in the eastern plains of Colombia for more than a century, but along with these productive activities, they have been convinced of the importance of conservation ecosystems preserving them for the enjoyment of his family and San Martín, Meta .She and her family were pioneers in linking properties to Habitat Banks projects in Colombia and in this interview, she tells us her reasons for betting on this project.
Media coverage of Meta Habitat Bank's launching
This was the coverage for the launching of the first Habitat Bank in Colombia:
- Multilateral Investment Fund - Member of the IDB Group: The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Terrasos SAS, and land owners in Meta have committed to building the first Habitat Bank in Colombia. This is a solution for the implementation of environmental offsets, which is expected to achieve greater efficiency, visibility and quality of environmental offsets. See more here.
- Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Communication - "ComunicaRSE": the first Habitat Bank in Latin America has been launched, which has a results-based payment scheme for environmental offseting of licenses. The scheme is materialized with a total investment of US$1.5 million by the MIF, Terrasos, and the landowners. It is expected to restore degraded ecosystems, conserve natural forests and increase farm productivity, in addition to reducing costs for companies with offset requirements. See more here.