Students from the Forestry Engineering program of the Universidad Industrial de Santander, Malaga campus, presented to the community and environmental authorities of Riosucio, Caldas, the main results and findings obtained in the framework of the agreement with the company Smurfit Westrock Colombia.
The study, entitled “Biological Characterization in the Natural Forests of Riosucio, Caldas”, focused on the diversity of species in the natural forests of this region, contributing to the knowledge and conservation of local biodiversity.
Katherin Juliana Esteban Martínez, Carmen Elena Sánchez Arias, Gloria Edith Alvarado Méndez, Ivonne Alexandra Torres Cardozo, Andrés David Rojas Hurtado and professors Diego Suescún and José Acevedo Espinel were in charge of carrying out the project and presenting the results.
The students spent a month in the field and then spent several days at the Medellín Botanical Garden Herbarium to identify the species collected. Regarding the development of this project, the professor, Diego Suescún, highlighted the inter-institutional articulation in the development of environmental projects, since these alliances allow the integration of diverse perspectives, knowledge and skills.
“The agreement between Smurfit Westrock and the UIS Sede Málaga allowed to unite the public and private sectors, where each member of the team contributed significantly with their strengths, generating mutual learning environments. This type of activities are important for the dissemination of knowledge with the inhabitants of the region, but also with the different entities and actors related to environmental protection.
Students from Malaga had the opportunity to travel to another department to test their knowledge and skills in floristic inventories, monitoring of plots, bird watching and mammal trapping. In addition, these alliances allow us to comply with the university’s missionary axes such as extension and research,” said Professor Diego.
For her part, the student Carmen Elena Sanchez, highlighted the scope of the project in terms of flora and fauna. “We are very grateful to Smurfit Kappa for this type of agreement. It was also very interesting to share the results of the research with the community and different entities”.
The main findings of the project include the following:
- The study recorded species of high conservation value due to their endemism and endangered status, 16 endemic plant species were identified and several with a threat category such as Magnolia jardinensis (Critically Endangered) and Cecropia multisecta, Magnolia yarumalensis and Varronia acuta (Endangered). In addition, in the case of fauna, the cock-of-the-rock, quetzal, spectacled bear and ocelot were recorded. There were a greater number of birds outside the forests, probably due to the availability of food compared to the interior.
- The abundance of food resources such as insects and arthropods favors the establishment of bird communities with a high proportion of insectivorous species.
From the forestry engineering program of the UIS Malaga Office, it is expected to continue with the public-private articulation that allows monitoring and follow-up of biological diversity in different parts of the country.
The socialization of the results took place last Friday, February 7, in Riosucio, Caldas, on the premises of Cartón de Colombia.
