Colombia
My subject for Colombia is Rosamira Guillen, executive director of Proyecto Titi, an organisation operating in Northern Colombia focusing on protecting Cotton Top Tamarins by working with local communities to sustainably preserve or restore the tamarins' natural forest habitats.
Geography
Colombia is a country in South America with insular regions in the Atlanic and Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast, Brazil to the southeast, Ecuador and Peru to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest.
Colombia is one of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries; it has the second-highest level of biodiversity in the world. Its territory encompasses Amazon rainforest, highlands, grasslands and deserts.
Source Wikipedia
Environmental issues
Environmental problems in Colombia include deforestation, soil erosion and water pollution, pollution on major bodies of water by corporations, backed up by unregulated / unsupervised policies and by the corruption of local and federal authorities
About Rosamira
Rosamira's first job when she returned to Colombia after University was to remodel the Barranquilla Zoo. That's where she met cotton-top tamarins for the first time and learned that they were only found in northern Colombia and critically endangered due to deforestation and capture for the pet trade.
She fell in love with the species and learned about Proyecto Tití when she became the director of the Zoo. Rosamira and the zoo started collaborating with Proyecto Titi to create awareness about cotton-tops. Rosamira ended up leaving the Zoo and becoming Proyecto Tití's Executive Director in Colombia. That was 15 years ago.
Since then, the organisation has expanded and has clear strategic plans to conserve cotton tops’ environments specifically by involving local communities and educating people about the tamarins
Copyright Suzi Eszterhas
![RDH_2016-04-07_DH_3596[12285].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603b40109959d83fcdbfe647/cb0594ff-3ebb-41c3-b4a4-bd5c4bb135a3/RDH_2016-04-07_DH_3596%5B12285%5D.jpg)
![RDH_2016-04-07_DH_3821-Ronald de Hommel[12283].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603b40109959d83fcdbfe647/c04116a3-533e-4b0b-87a3-ace04e651959/RDH_2016-04-07_DH_3821-Ronald+de+Hommel%5B12283%5D.jpg)
For the full painting timelapse and more of Rosamira’s story click on the YouTube video link below