Project
Preserving the legacy of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Heart of the World
Rising abruptly from Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta reaches 5,775 meters (18,946 ft.) at its highest points, the peaks of Bolívar and Colón. It is the highest coastal mountain system in the world, a place where indigenous knowledge and nature’s own wisdom converge.
The sheer changes in elevation create a wide variety of ecosystems within a small area, where the diversity of plant and animal life creates a unique exuberant region. The melting snows of the highest peaks form rivers and lakes, whose freshwater flows down steep slopes to the tropical sea at the base of the mountains.
The indigenous Arhuaco, Kogi, Wiwa, and Kankuamo people protect and care for this natural treasure with an authority they have inherited from their ancestors. According to their worldview the land is sacred and shared in divine communion between humans, animals, plants, rivers, mountains, and the spirts of their ancestors.
Despite this ancestral inheritance, development projects proposed for the region have failed to take the opinions of these indigenous groups into consideration. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is currently threatened by 251 mineral concessions, hydroelectric projects, agriculture, urban sprawl, and infrastructure projects.
Many of these concessions were granted without the prior consultation of the indigenous communities, which represents a persistent and systematic violation of their rights.
Mining, which implies the contamination and erosion of watersheds, threatens the health of more than 30 rivers that flow out of the Sierra; these are the water sources of the departments of Magdalena, César, and La Guajira.
These threats have brought this natural paradise to the brink of no return. With it, would go the traditional lives of its indigenous inhabitants, who are dependent on the health of their land and the sacred sites it contains.
The Sierra hosts the archaeological site of la Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City, known as Teyuna, the cradle of Tayrona civilization. According to tradition, it is the source from which all nature was born—the living heart of the world.
The four guardian cultures of the Sierra are uninterested in allowing this natural and cultural legacy to disappear.
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Communities affected by the Hidroituango dam have denounced the murder of two of their members over the past few days. In addition, a recent obstruction in one of the dam’s tunnels means the dam is at risk of overflowing, which could cause an avalanche of mud and debris. Allies are calling on authorities to investigate the harms to local communities and provide adequate support for those affected. Two members of Movimiento Ríos Vivos Antioquia, the coalition of communities affected by Colombia’s Hidroituango Dam, have been murdered in the last several days. Hugo Albeiro George Pérez and Luis Alberto Torres Montoya were murdered on May 2 and 8, respectively, according to statements from Ríos Vivos. Members of the movement have also suffered threats, intimidation, and human rights violations due to their defense of their land and the Cauca River. At the same time, residents of towns downstream from the dam are living in fear and uncertainty this week, faced with a potential environmental catastrophe. The imminent danger is caused by an obstruction in one of the dam’s diversion tunnels that, by interrupting the flow of the Cauca River, could cause the dam to overflow with such force that it would release not just water but an avalanche of mud and debris. The Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA), the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), and the International Accountability Project (IAP) express our support for Movimiento Ríos Vivos of Antioquia and the communities affected by the Hidroituango Dam in Colombia. We demand that Colombia’s environmental authorities find and punish those responsible for the murders, as well as investigate the ongoing damages caused by the dam’s construction. We also call on the national government to promptly and adequately provide support for affected families. Hidroituango, expected to become Colombia’s largest dam, will affect 12 municipalities, changing the lives of thousand of families that depend directly on the river. The project has received funding from IDB Invest, the private-sector branch of the Inter-American Development Bank. Press contact: Víctor Quintanilla, AIDA, +521 5570522107, [email protected]
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We stand in solidarity with the Movimiento, and we request that the Colombian State investigate this act and punish those responsible. Furthermore, we ask that Colombia adopt urgent and effective measures to stop ongoing violence against environmental defenders. The undersigned national and international organizations categorically condemn the assassination in Colombia of Mr. Hugo Albeiro George Pérez, member of Movimiento Ríos Vivos. Movimiento Ríos Vivos denounced the murder of Mr. George, who is a member of the Asociación de Víctimas y Afectados por Megaproyectos (ASVAM) El Aro—part of Movimiento Ríos Vivos Antioquia—and who, along with his family, was affected by the construction of the Hidroituango dam. The incident, in which his nephew Domar Egidio Zapata George was also killed, occurred on May 2, 2018, in Puerto Valdivia, Antioquia, in the context of regional community mobilizations against the social and environmental risks of the damming of the Cauca River. Hidroituango would be the largest dam in Colombia, with a height of 225 meters and a storage capacity of 20 million cubic meters of water. The project will affect 12 municipalities and impact thousands of families who depend on the river. The project is being financed by a loan package from IDB Invest, the private-sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank. For defending the land and the Cauca River, Movimiento Ríos Vivos has been the target of threats, intimidation, and human rights violations. The owners of the Hidroituango project must respect human rights and act with due diligence in assessing the impacts of the dam’s construction. In response to the incident, we express our solidarity with Movimiento Ríos Vivos and with the family of Hugo Albeiro George Pérez. We request that the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia investigate this act in an expedited manner and that the appropriate court penalize those responsible. Likewise, and in the context of worsening violence against environmental defenders in the region, we demand that the government guarantee a safe setting for the work of Movimiento Ríos Vivos and to take all necessary precautions to stop the threats, intimidation, and murders against those who defend the environment and their territory. Finally, we request that environmental authorities investigate the impacts communities suffer due to the damming of the Cauca River and that the government provide assistance to the families affected by the project. Accion Ecologica, RedLar Ecuador. Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network. Alianza Internacional de Habitantes. Alianza para la Conservación y el Desarrollo, Panamá. Asamblea Veracruzana de Iniciativas y Defensa Ambiental, Lavida, México. Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense. Bank Information Center. Bretton Woods Project, Londres. CEE Bankwatch Network, Hungría Center for International Environmental Law, Estados Unidos. Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales, Ecuador. Coordinadora de Afectados por Grandes Embalses y Trasvases, Coagret. Colombia Grasssrooots Support, New Jersey, Estados Unidos. Colombia Human Rights Committee, Washington, DC, Estados Unidos. Colombia Land Rights Monitor. Consejo de los Pueblos Wuxtaj/CPO, Guatemala. Convergencia por los Derechos Humanos, Guatemala. Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Perú. Due Process of Law Foundation, Estados Unidos. Earthrights International. Ecosistemas Chile, Chile. Environmental Investigation Agency, Estados Unidos. Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Argentina. Fundación Chile Sustentable, Chile. Fundar, Mexico. Front Line Defenders, Reino Unido. Global Witness, Reino Unido. IISCAL, Estados Unidos. International Accountability Project, Estados Unidos. International Labor Rights Forum. International Rivers. Latin America Working Group, Estados Unidos. Movement for Peace in Colombia, New York, Estados Unidos. Movimiento Mexicano de Afectados por las Presas y en Defensa de los Ríos, México. Movimiento Victoriano Lorenzo. Not1More. Oxfam. Plataforma Continental Somos una América. Pueblos Unidos de la Cuenca Antigua. Servicios para una Educación Alternativa, México. Taller de Comunicación Ambiental, Rosario. Washington Office on Latin America, Estados Unidos. Press contact: Víctor Quintanilla, AIDA, +521 5570522107, [email protected]
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We stand in solidarity with the Movimiento, and we request that the Colombian State investigate this act and punish those responsible. Furthermore, we ask that Colombia adopt urgent and effective measures to stop ongoing violence against environmental defenders. The undersigned national and international organizations categorically condemn the assassination in Colombia of Mr. Hugo Albeiro George Pérez, member of Movimiento Ríos Vivos. Movimiento Ríos Vivos denounced the murder of Mr. George, who is a member of the Asociación de Víctimas y Afectados por Megaproyectos (ASVAM) El Aro—part of Movimiento Ríos Vivos Antioquia—and who, along with his family, was affected by the construction of the Hidroituango dam. The incident, in which his nephew Domar Egidio Zapata George was also killed, occurred on May 2, 2018, in Puerto Valdivia, Antioquia, in the context of regional community mobilizations against the social and environmental risks of the damming of the Cauca River. Hidroituango would be the largest dam in Colombia, with a height of 225 meters and a storage capacity of 20 million cubic meters of water. The project will affect 12 municipalities and impact thousands of families who depend on the river. The project is being financed by a loan package from IDB Invest, the private-sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank. For defending the land and the Cauca River, Movimiento Ríos Vivos has been the target of threats, intimidation, and human rights violations. The owners of the Hidroituango project must respect human rights and act with due diligence in assessing the impacts of the dam’s construction. In response to the incident, we express our solidarity with Movimiento Ríos Vivos and with the family of Hugo Albeiro George Pérez. We request that the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia investigate this act in an expedited manner and that the appropriate court penalize those responsible. Likewise, and in the context of worsening violence against environmental defenders in the region, we demand that the government guarantee a safe setting for the work of Movimiento Ríos Vivos and to take all necessary precautions to stop the threats, intimidation, and murders against those who defend the environment and their territory. Finally, we request that environmental authorities investigate the impacts communities suffer due to the damming of the Cauca River and that the government provide assistance to the families affected by the project. Accion Ecologica, RedLar Ecuador. Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network. Alianza Internacional de Habitantes. Alianza para la Conservación y el Desarrollo, Panamá. Asamblea Veracruzana de Iniciativas y Defensa Ambiental, Lavida, México. Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense. Bank Information Center. Bretton Woods Project, Londres. CEE Bankwatch Network, Hungría Center for International Environmental Law, Estados Unidos. Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales, Ecuador. Coordinadora de Afectados por Grandes Embalses y Trasvases, Coagret. Colombia Grasssrooots Support, New Jersey, Estados Unidos. Colombia Human Rights Committee, Washington, DC, Estados Unidos. Colombia Land Rights Monitor. Consejo de los Pueblos Wuxtaj/CPO, Guatemala. Convergencia por los Derechos Humanos, Guatemala. Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Perú. Due Process of Law Foundation, Estados Unidos. Earthrights International. Ecosistemas Chile, Chile. Environmental Investigation Agency, Estados Unidos. Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Argentina. Fundación Chile Sustentable, Chile. Fundar, Mexico. Front Line Defenders, Reino Unido. Global Witness, Reino Unido. IISCAL, Estados Unidos. International Accountability Project, Estados Unidos. International Labor Rights Forum. International Rivers. Latin America Working Group, Estados Unidos. Movement for Peace in Colombia, New York, Estados Unidos. Movimiento Mexicano de Afectados por las Presas y en Defensa de los Ríos, México. Movimiento Victoriano Lorenzo. Not1More. Oxfam. Plataforma Continental Somos una América. Pueblos Unidos de la Cuenca Antigua. Servicios para una Educación Alternativa, México. Taller de Comunicación Ambiental, Rosario. Washington Office on Latin America, Estados Unidos. Press contact: Víctor Quintanilla, AIDA, +521 5570522107, [email protected]
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