GEAP invites citizens to preserve species and natural resources
Under the International Program Children of Mother Earth, the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace (GEAP) in Colombia, with its volunteers, participated in the environmental parade “Let's save the Wildlife of Our Mother Earth”.
2,500 Activists for the peace joined the celebration of World Wildlife Day, with the purpose of giving information and awareness to the citizens about the need of preserving all the variety of species in their environment.
More than 8,000 Colombians representing educational, governmental and environmental entities, the Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth and citizens in general paraded with slogans and attires representing the endangered species. (See chart of participants in Colombia)
23 cities in Colombia opened their doors to give way to this initiative from the GEAP that includes the community. The parades ended with an environmental march, where volunteers, through three educational modules, spoke about biodiversity conservation. (See summary of activities in Colombia)
Bogota
The spectacled bear, the tingua of Bogota, the savanna deer, are some of the threatened species due to illegal trafficking, these were represented in the parade that took place from 19 street to the Independence Park of Bogota.
Likewise, the orchid Cattleya Trianae, national flower, the frailejon and the peristeria flower, were exhibited by the Guardians in the capital of Colombia.
Center of the country
In Tocaima, Fusagasugá and Soacha, in the city of Cundinamarca, a call was made for the protection of the white heron and the owl, among others, to prevent their disappearing, as it happened to the Colombian grebe, extinct due to contamination of its habitat.
In Antioquia the celebration was held in Envigado and ended in the cultural library Débora Arango. In this activity, they highlighted the dog fox and the tororoi bird, species that are endangered in the Aburrá Valley.
More than 3000 people attended the Bolívar de Pereira Park, where the wax palm, was the main character (national tree of Colombia), this species is in danger due to deforestation of forests.
Atlantic Coast and northern Colombia
In Soledad City, Atlántico, about 300 students from I.E. Inobasol, sealed their environmental commitment as new Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth, along with other entities. Those who attended enjoyed the theatre play “A World in Destruction”, as well as songs and artistic performances.
In Santa Marta and Cartagena the activists raised their voices in defense of the manatee, one of the most important species in the Colombian Caribbean Sea; likewise, for the almond tree, the cayenne, the macaw and the bee, natural guardians of the ecosystem.
In the northern Santander, students from I.E. Carlos Pérez Escalante and the Colombian environmental movement participated in the parade held in Cúcuta.
Simultaneously, in Floridablanca more than 200 students from Vicente Azuero participated in the environmental parade, where the elite environmental group CDMB joined, among others.
Southern Colombia
The environmental parade in San Agustín, made a warning call for the charapa turtle, the blue morpho butterfly and the Magdalena cayman (Crocodylus acutus), which are found in the red book of threatened species in the southern region of Colombia, due to the indiscriminate hunting and destruction of their habitat.
This activity was supported by the city mayor of Palmero, Víctor Polanía, and the mayor of El Doncello, Caquetá. Meanwhile in Putumayo more than 90 students pledged as new Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth.
In Palmero, Huila, the officials of the Autonomous Regional Corporation of Alto Magdalena (CAM), paraded together with the institution's mascot, also, they represented species such as the elephant, fishes and hummingbird, among others.
Southwest
More than 2,800 people from communities: Toro, Ginebra, Santa Elena, Candelaria, Yumbo, Cali, Buenaventura and Popayán (Cauca), participated in the environmental parade. Theatre plays and artistic performances were part of the celebration.
Luis Acevedo, park ranger of Dagma, expressed: “This commemorative acts are extremely important because it creates an environmental culture among citizens”.
With their signature, 236 people supported the GEAP proposal, Proclamation of Rights of Mother Earth, also 724 citizens joined the Environmental Movement, Guardians for the Peace of Mother Earth.
Protection actions
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Colombia has 1,203 species close to extinction, of which 173 are in critical danger, 390 in danger and 640 species are in vulnerable category. 407 correspond to animal species and 796 to plant species.
The manager of Edumas, Fernando Valencia said: “From our institution we are willing to preserve the flora and fauna wildlife, our commitment is to keep working with institutions that are in favor of the environment”.
Valencia pointed that they are working on actions to stop the illegal trafficking of species, he mentioned that the new Police Code gives the entity the authority to activate controls and operatives in conjunction with the Environmental Police.
