Photo by PBI-Colombia.
On August 28, PBI-Colombia posted on Instagram:
“We accompanied @acvc_ran [the Small-Scale Farmer Association of the Cimitarra River Valley] on the Spectacled Bear Route (Remedios, Antioquia) during the 8th edition of the Ecological Camp.
The Ecological Camp is an opportunity to establish connections between university students and rural communities through tours of the territory, sharing stories and experiences of its inhabitants defending the land and human rights.
This tour reminds us of the importance of collective care and the care of the rural community.”
ACVC is “a regional organization that integrates the purposes of the community through Community Action Boards, cooperatives, fishing committees and other groups of rural workers, within the framework of the integral defense of human rights and the struggle for land.”
On August 14, ACVC posted on Facebook: “The VIII Ecological Camp for Water, Life and Peace begins! From the heart of the Peasant Reserve Zone of the Cimitarra River Valley, peasant communities, youth, women and social organizations gather under the motto: ‘For the protection of the jaguar as an umbrella species’.”
It highlighted: “For several days we will collectively build actions to defend biodiversity, care for the territory and strengthen peace from our roots.”
The next day it further posted: “This camp is a collective effort to strengthen the peasant organization, articulation with the academic sector and peacebuilding from the heart of the Peasant Reserve Zone of the Cimitarra River Valley.”
Then ACVC posted: “As part of the VIII Ecological Camp, the Spectacled Bear Route toured the municipality of Remedios, Antioquia, recognizing the importance of protecting this emblematic species. With tours and community activities, participants from youth, women, universities, and rural communities shared lessons about territorial defense, human rights, and peace. The Spectacled Bear reminds us that life in our forests depends on collective care and rural organization.”
At the conclusion of the ecological camp, ACVC published this article that further explains the security context they work within: “In the midst of the difficult security situation and humanitarian crisis suffered by the Middle Magdalena region due to the armed conflict due to the economic dispute, territorial and social control between the illegal armed groups that are present in the territory, we successfully carried out the ‘VIII Ecological Camp of the Peasant Reserve Zone of the Cimitarra River Valley’ for the protection of the jaguar as an umbrella species, from August 14 to 19, 2025.”
Their article also notes: “We urge the illegal armed groups to commit, abide by and respect the initiatives and community norms of coexistence for the conservation and environmental protection adopted by the communities and their social organizations, protected by IHL [international humanitarian law].”
Peace Brigades International has accompanied ACVC since 2007.
Photo by PBI-Colombia.
