In compliance with its mission mandates, which aim to protect tropical forests from the Amazonian municipalities most affected by deforestation, the Interreligious Initiative for Tropical Forests installed three new local chapters in the municipality of Villagarzón, Putumayo: one in the urban area and two rural ones, in the townships of Puerto Umbría and La Castellana.
The day was attended by almost 70 people, including religious and community leaders, indigenous authorities, teachers and rectors, and representatives of the local government, who actively participated in the workshops.
“IRI summons us to protect our common home, which is nothing more than preserving the environment, taking care of ourselves,” said Sister Rosalba Méndez, a missionary religious of the Immaculate Conception, who gave the workshop on ecotheology. The geographer and GGGI expert, Belén Ojeda Cruz, led the workshop “Challenges for the conservation of Amazonian tropical forests”, and the geologist Mauricio Valencia, was in charge of the workshop on climate change and deforestation. “How long will the Earth resist if we do not transform our relationship with nature?” the expert questioned.
In addition, the installation event of IRI’s local chapters in Villagarzón was attended by local authorities. Ricardo Solarte presented the projects and programs developed by the departmental government, related to the protection of the environment. “We have a clear position of respect for life, made up of all the living beings that inhabit this piece of planet, here in the Colombian Amazon. Life is worth much more than any other economic interest that there may be in the department. That includes that of large multinationals,” said the advisor to the Government of Putumayo.
For his part, the Secretary of the Environment of Villagarzón, Luis Germán Arellano, presented the projects that the municipality is carrying out, to mitigate deforestation through sustainable productive alternatives.
With these new chapters, IRI-Colombia consolidates work nuclei in a strategic department for the future of the Amazon biome and reaffirms its conviction that the Amazon is protected from the territories, with the strength of spirituality, knowledge and collective action.
