On December 2, 2023, Parque Naturales announced the official opening of the Serranía de Manacacías Natural Park, in the municipality of San Martín de los Llanos, in the department of Meta. The news resonated with environmental experts in the country and around the world, including famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who congratulated Colombia on “this victory” on his Instagram account.
And this park It will play an important role in maintaining Colombia's biodiversity, as it protects approximately 68,030 hectares, which host at least 12 ecosystems of the Orinoquí Natural Region.To. “Seasonal tropical savannahs, gallery forests, mixed palm groves, grasslands, shrublands and grasslands, as well as an extensive network of water bodies that maintain a good conservation status and serve as a refuge for hundreds of animal species,” explains Nature Parks.
For this reason, Leonardo DiCaprio highlighted the work of the national government to protect the environment and emphasized Colombia's commitment to the global goal of protecting 30% of the planeta by 2030, which aims to protect the life of the global ecosystem, which has shown signs of weakness in recent years.
“Also this new park will protect an important wildlife corridor and connect the Orinoquia, the continent's largest tropical savannah, with the Amazon. the largest river basin and the largest rainforest on earth,” said the famous Hollywood actor.
On his part Natural Parks explained in a statement that the creation of this natural park was a result of the collaboration of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Developmentthe World Wildlife Fund (WWF Colombia), the Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (ACCEFYN) and other organizations committed to preserving the life of at least 1,093 plant species and more than 51 animal species in this area.
“This victory is the result of the incredible collaborative efforts of the Colombian National Park Authority (PNN), international and local environmental organizations, civil society organizations, philanthropists, artists and government institutions,” the actor emphasized.