Julio Andrés Rozo

Amazonia Emprende pioneered a native seed center in Caquetá to ensure genetic diversity in restoration projects. By collecting seeds from multiple mother trees across the region, they prevent the common mistake of planting siblings together, which compromises ecosystem resilience. This methodology can be transferred across Latin America to improve restoration outcomes.

In a region dominated by cattle ranching for decades, Amazonia Emprende works with indigenous communities and peasant farmers to rebuild their connection to the forest. By teaching seed harvesting and creating new income streams, they help communities recognize that their forests are more valuable than pastures, especially given Caquetá's poor soil quality for cattle.

Seeds collected from the field arrive at Amazonia Emprende's nurseries where they're carefully germinated and grown for several years. The team monitors growth conditions and selects the healthiest specimens for planting in degraded areas across Caquetá, one of Colombia's most deforested Amazon departments. This careful process ensures high survival rates despite climate challenges.

The team monitors mother trees monthly using binoculars and emerging drone technology with multispectral imaging to detect flowering and fruiting in the high canopy. This data helps predict seed availability and alerts community collectors when trees are ready for harvest. Climate change has shifted traditional flowering patterns, making this monitoring crucial for successful seed collection.

Amazonia Emprende is working to translate ecological data into economic valuations, recognizing that a threatened species like algarrobo may be more valuable than a common species like guarango. This economic framework will help voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credit systems properly value different restoration approaches, attracting appropriate investment to high-impact projects.

Climate change is already affecting Caquetá's forests, with trees aborting flowers and shifting their traditional fruiting schedules. The team has observed species that historically fruited in November now failing to produce seeds. This urgent reality drives their mission to accelerate seed collection and storage, building a genetic safety net before more species are compromised.

Amazonia Emprende is pioneering the use of technology to scale their impact, from GPS-enabled drones for canopy monitoring to solar-powered tracking systems. They're building partnerships with universities and data scientists to develop tools that can monitor thousands of trees efficiently, reducing the cost and time of field missions while improving data quality for restoration projects.

Education is central to Amazonia Emprende's mission, working with local youth and communities to build a conservation culture around Caquetá's 'green gold' message. By training the next generation in seed collection, forest ecology, and restoration techniques, they're creating sustainable career pathways and ensuring long-term community stewardship of the Amazon.