Finca El Reposo

Finca El Reposo is a 185-hectare former dairy farm located in the northwest region of Colombia. The property is located at the northern tip of the western cordillera of the Andes, where the mountain range meets the plateaus of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. This geography has made the area a biodiversity hotspot.

This property was purchased by Foundación Magnolios with project partner SalvaMontes in 2017.

The property includes more than 100 hectares of virgin forest which was at risk of being cleared for pasture prior to the property being purchased.

The forest includes two species of critically endangered magnolia trees (magnolia guatapensis and magnolia polyhypsophylla) that are endemic to the region.

Local farmers, Alberto and Amparo have been employed to establish a commercially viable farm and manage the reserve, living on the property using lower-impact farming practices that will protect the existing forest. This involves farming on a much smaller area of land (approximately 5 hectares) and switching from dairy farming to growing crops best suited to the region.

The majority of the previously cleared land on the property is now being reforested.

Farm and reserve managers Alberto and Amparo.

Josh Harris from Fundación Magnolios on Finca El Reposo