Repairs to Natutama’s Visitor Centre in the Colombian Amazon are well underway thanks to funding from Children of Colombia.
Natutama is a Colombian foundation focused on environmental research and education. The Amazon is rich in biodiversity but its complex, delicate ecosystems rely on the ebbs and floods of the river and the support of local communities and visitors to protect endangered species such as river dolphins, turtles and manatees.
The Covid pandemic and particularly devastating floods impacted the area very badly, reducing income from the tourism and causing great poverty with shortages of essential food and medical supplies.
Natutama’s Visitor and Education Centre suffered badly and there was no money for essential repairs.
Thanks to your very generous response to our 2021 Christmas Appeal, Children of Colombia was able to transfer enough funds for Natutama to buy materials and labour to repair its iconic roundhouse – or “Kiosk”. Built of mainly natural materials – such as palm thatch for the roof – and in traditional style, it is very eco-friendly but also requires regular maintenance as the construction deteriorates rapidly in the wet, humid climate.
Work can only go ahead in the dry season when conditions are right. Once complete, the roundhouse will be open again to welcome visitors from far and wide as well as local schoolchildren and the community who come together to learn about their unique environment and how to conserve it and pass on local traditions, crafts and folklore to preserve and celebrate their cultural heritage.
– farmers, fishermen and especially schools and families – to teach them how to protect endangered Amazonian wildlife and habitats while continuing to live and work in the same environment.
While the number of visitors increased to 1.608 in 2021, this was still very low compared to normal years, when Natütama would have expected 6000 to 8000 visitors. Nearly half of the visitors last year were local adults and children, who do not pay an entrance fee.
Because of the pandemic, the Centre has received almost no visitor income since March 2020. There has been nothing available for maintenance. The roundhouse, constantly in use for activities, is leaking in many places and needs substantial re-roofing with palm leaves. The floor is also peeling in places and needs painting.
In addition to its environmental education activities with schools and the local community, Natutama carries out important long-term research into the habitats and lifecycles of endangered species such as manatees, river dolphins and turtles native to the Amazon.
Many activities incorporate traditional myths and folklore. The strange, beautiful and often endangered creatures such as the manatee, boa (anaconda), caiman crocodile and river dolphin feature largely in these stories as spirits of the river and forest, interacting with humans who share their environment. Elders from the local Ticuna and other indigenous communities visit for storytelling sessions, passing on their traditional knowledge and cultural heritage to the younger generation and reinforcing the science-based teaching about preserving and respecting the environment.
Educators (when Covid restrictions allow) hold regular environmental education classes in local schools. Children in each grade learn more about the habits and lifecycles of different rare, endangered local creatures and how to protect them and conserve their environment. They are awarded a special certificate at the end of each course.
