Campaign

milestones

Working on a plurinational dialogue to achieve sustainable
development in order to consolidate the Gran Seaflower

Representatives of the Raizal community of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina met in Nicaragua with NGOs, Civil Society, University Academics and Students to discuss the care, protection and conservation of the Biosphere Reserve Seaflower. The meeting concluded with the declaration that, in the future, the Raizal community hopes to join efforts to achieve a Binational agreement for the joint protection of the Biosphere Reserve.

For the first time, scientific leaders from the southwestern Caribbean and the Creole people publicly expressed their support for the creation of the route for a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve based on two manifestos that were published the same day that the website of the Gransea flower Initiative was launched.

The law declaring and defining the Nicaraguan Caribbean Biosphere Reserve was approved in Nicaragua on the territory reintegrated into the sovereignty of the country that was part of the San Andrés Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, in accordance with the ruling of the International Court of Justice in The Hague in November 2012. For the first time there is a consensus between Colombia and Nicaragua that the Biosphere Reserve model is the appropriate model for the conservation of that area.

Delimitation map of the Reserve, annexed to Law 1059 that declares its creation.

For the first time, the Raizal People, in a statement referring to the declaration of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, requests dialogue between the governments of Colombia and Nicaragua, together with Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras and Jamaica, to explore the possibility of a Southwestern Caribbean Transboundary Biosphere Reserve and its respective registration with UNESCO.

Raizal representatives supported the proposal for the construction of a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve before the Second Commission of the Senate. The roadmap proposal was established based on dialogue and the signing of a preliminary agreement, to finally reach a regional environmental cooperation agreement. This commission has decided by consensus to support the negotiations for dialogue between the six countries.

The first Creole meeting was held within the framework of the Green Moon Festival on the island of San Andrés. This first meeting meant recognition of the history of the Raizal People for the consolidation of the Transborder Biosphere Reserve. The Creole meeting also highlighted the fight for the survival of the Afro-Caribbean heritage, the defense of their original rights, the protection of the environment, marine and coastal natural resources and the guarantee of a sustainable life.

The creation of an academic network of the Southwestern Caribbean, which serves as an instrument and guide, has been essential to strengthen the consolidation of a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve among the six countries that surround Seaflower. This objective began on April 29, 2022, with the first dialogue called "Transboundary Conservation of Ecosystems". This first dialogue included the participation of María José González (Guatemala), director of the Fund for the Mesoamerican Reef System; Marcus Williamson (Nicaragua), professor at the URACCAN University; Juliana Hurtado (Colombia), professor at the Externado de Colombia University and Osvaldo Jordan (Panama), director of the Ramsar Regional Center.

Representatives of the Raizal community of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina met in Nicaragua with NGOs, Civil Society, University Academics and Students to discuss the care, protection and conservation of the Biosphere Reserve. Seaflower. The meeting concluded with the declaration that, in the future, the Raizal community hopes to join efforts to achieve a Binational agreement for the joint protection of the Biosphere Reserve.