Fundación Envol Vert Colombia
Fundación Envol Vert Colombia
Project country: Colombia
Fundación Envol Vert Colombia is a non-profit organisation established in 2016 to protect forests and promote sustainable rural development. Operating in Colombia’s Caribbean region, FEVC works with Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and displaced communities to combat deforestation, preserve biodiversity, and create viable economic alternatives. Its approach combines agroforestry, silvo-pastoral systems, and conservation of tropical dry forests with capacity-building and inclusive governance. Since its inception, FEVC has planted over 52,000 native trees, managed 269 hectares of land sustainably, preserved 38 ha of forest, engaged with more than 700 participants, and supported 7 farmers’ associations.
Economic impact includes 13 biodiversity-based products, the creation of a local brand, and 60 market events. Awareness activities have reached over 7,000 people through festivals and educational programmes.
In 2025-2026, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting the project “Conserving 200 ha of Colombian dry tropical forest by linking restoration, food security and community empowerment.”
The Tropical Dry Forests of Colombia’s Caribbean region are among the most threatened and underrepresented biomes globally, with only 8% of their original area remaining. These forests provide critical ecosystem services, including water regulation, soil fertility, carbon storage, and habitat for unique and endangered species.
Simultaneously, rural communities in the Caribbean region experience high levels of poverty and vulnerability. In 2023, 41.1% lived below the poverty line, with 19.8% in extreme poverty (DANE, 2024). This region is home to a significant proportion of displaced, indigenous, and Afro-descendant communities who face major barriers to land access, income generation, and social inclusion.
Low land productivity and limited livelihood options exacerbate reliance on unsustainable practices, further threatening forests and biodiversity.
The project was launched to address these interconnected environmental, social, and economic challenges through a community-led, rights-based approach. Simultaneously, it empowers rural communities through capacity-building, workshops, and the development of sustainable livelihood activities based on non-timber forest products and apiculture.
Over three years (2025–2027), the project will engage 200 direct participants from smallholder farming communities in Ovejas, Toluviejo (Sucre), and Becerril (Cesar), prioritising women and youth. Through 30 participatory workshops and biodiversity monitoring activities (camera traps, bird and flora observations), local communities will create three biodiversity inventories and define collective strategies to conserve 200 hectares of Tropical Dry Forest. Key actions include restoring degraded areas through the planting of 4,000 native trees, creating ecological corridors, and protecting water sources. The project will also promote sustainable livelihoods by supporting four local producer associations to develop value chains based on non-timber forest products and apiculture.
Additionally, six biodiversity ambassadors will be trained to lead community awareness, strengthen territorial governance, and represent local voices in decision-making spaces. This integrated approach will enhance biodiversity conservation, improve ecosystem services, and generate alternative incomes, directly benefiting 200 people and indirectly reaching approximately 58,000 inhabitants.
In summary, the project responds to the urgent need to conserve globally significant ecosystems while tackling the root social and economic causes of deforestation, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable development. By reconnecting people with nature and placing communities at the centre of conservation efforts, it creates a replicable model of ecological restoration, community empowerment, and socio-economic resilience.
This project contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
