Mongabay · Climate & nature

Colombia’s Indigenous Guardians Adapt to Mounting Pressures

Indigenous Wiwa families in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are voluntarily relocating to lower elevations to maintain community cohesion amidst escalating climate and security challenges.

The Wiwa community of Gomke is establishing a new settlement, Shegunamke, on lower slopes, preserving higher ancestral lands for ecological protection. This move adapts to climate change and paramilitary presence, aiming to safeguard their social, educational, and spiritual unity.

Across the Sierra Nevada, the Arhuaco, Kankuamo, Kogui, and Wiwa nations face intensified pressures from agro-industrial expansion, mining, drug trade-related violence, and climate impacts, threatening ancestral lands and cultural practices.

The communities adhere to a 'law of origin,' emphasizing the interdependence of life and Mother Earth. This guides their efforts to maintain order, viewing resource extraction as harm to the Earth.

Despite protections expanding the national park and prohibiting new mining bids, significant mining interests persist. Over 120 active mining titles and over 90 pending applications overlap the Línea Negra, the ancestral network of sacred sites.

Displacement disrupts daily life and connection to sacred sites. The loss of territory is deeply felt, with elders stating harm to a woman signifies harm to the territory.

Education is crucial for cultural continuity, blending traditional knowledge with formal learning. Understanding 'living curricula' of sacred sites is vital for healing memory, territory, and languages.

Conservation efforts include expanding the national park and designating a reserve prohibiting new mining. However, the president's plans to expand fossil fuel production and mining present a potential conflict.

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