Biodiversitatis



Nature reserve
with research station and education centre




The Foundation team has undertaken activities aiming at creating a nature reserve with a research station and education centre in South America.



Currently, we are gathering funds for purchasing 30 ha of Northern Andean montane forest in the Sibundoy Valley (southern Colombia). The eastern and western slopes of some of the major valleys in this ecoregion have substantially different plants and animals, and many species are restricted to single mountaintops or ranges. These are likely to be the richest tropical montane forests on Earth. In the Northwestern Andean montane forests, flowering species are extremely diverse, and up to 300 species can be found in a single hectare. This ecosystem is home to spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) and andean tapir (Tapirus pinchaque).





The Tropical Andes region has been described as the richest and most diverse area on Earth, in terms of biodiversity. This “hotspot” comprises less than one percent of the planet’s land area, yet it contains more than a sixth of the world’s plant life. Some estimates put the number of species going extinct due to deforestation of tropical forest at 137 per day.



Location of the land



Inside the forest



Research station made of... plastics



We intend to establish a research station in the created nature reserve. This will be the first scientific facility in Valle de Sibundoy and it will be available for researchers from around the world. Our project will allow to conduct not only research on diversity of plants, animals and fungi in the region, but also to carry on long-term observations of the local ecosystem.



The research station will be constructed with the use of recycled raw materials - plastic waste. In the Venture (2016) Competition, a Colombia-based company, Conceptos Plásticos, has been chosen as the best start-up in the world. This concern belonging to Oscar A. Méndez collects and processes plastic waste that is later used for developing waterproof houses resistant to earthquakes.

Other companies following the footsteps of Conceptos Plásticos were established on the Colombian marked, which are currently offering eco-friendly buildings (e.g. Bloqueplas, Brickarp-Ficidet).


More information about "plastic houses" available here: https://ecoinventos.com/casas-de-ladrillos-de-plastico/