The degradation of the savannas of the Colombian Orinoco is profoundly rooted in the inadequate fire management practices that have severely altered the natural cycles and vegetation of this vast region. Over the decades, anthropogenic fires have caused massive degradation of wooded savannas and gallery forests, impacting biodiversity, genetic flow and vegetation coverage.
Fires and their impact on degradation
A study conducted by Juan Manuel Cardona, Associate Director of Nature-Based Solutions at ClearBlue Markets, for InverBosques and the Brújula Verde Project, has provided a detailed analysis of the relationship between fire and vegetation, the various ecosystems present in eastern Colombia, and the lessons learnt from reforestation projects close to nature. This research demonstrates that, without the pressure of recurrent fires, most of the Orinoco basin could be covered by forest vegetation, or at least by a mosaic of open forests intercropped with wooded savannahs and scrublands.