Welcome to the GROW Colombia blog

Written by: Professor Federica Di Palma

Welcome to the GROW Colombia blog. Here you will be able to read about the progress of this pioneering collaborative and multidisciplinary project, the inspiring people who make the project so successful, our diverse activities, our cutting-edge research and our lasting impact.

The coronavirus pandemic has had profound effects all around the world and reminded us how interconnected we all are. Frustratingly, during 2020 many of the GROW Colombia research projects and activities have been paused and postponed. But the GROW team across three continents has been working hard to find new ways to generate knowledge sharing and public engagement in conservation issues.  Recently we celebrated the launch of the EBP Colombia, the Colombian part of the Earth Biogenome Project in close collaboration with the Colombian Ministry of Science (MinCiencias).  GROW partners are hoping to resume our activities in 2021 with even more determination and energy.

Coronavirus has brought into sharp focus the impact that environmental recklessness is having on human society. Our vulnerability to zoonotic diseases such as coronavirus can be greatly reduced in the future, by safeguarding our environment, for example reversing deforestation and tackling the devastating illegal wildlife trade.

Looking to the year ahead, 2021 will be a celebration of the diplomatic friendship, collaboration and trade between Colombia and the UK. COP26 and COP15 will be the major milestones and together they offer the world an opportunity to prioritise the planet’s ecological health. With strong multilateral commitment, governments across the globe can choose to reset our relationship with the natural world.  Political and economic decisions must be based on the indisputable scientific evidence. British and Colombian bioscience collaborations such as GROW Colombia will have a central role to play over the year ahead.

We must all cherish the planet’s valuable, last remaining areas of wilderness that are so rich in biodiversity, and find ways to incentivise human society to conserve and nurture their ecological integrity while we still have the chance.