The Government of Colombia requires the mining industry to compensate forests for the various concessions they have obtained.
The compensation rules of the government also obliges the company to use indigenous species.

PUM Netherlands Senior Experts received a request for advice, guidance and support in the areas of forest compensation. It all starts with the right tree species to grow in their own tree nursery. Substrate quality is one of the most important influence on seedlings growth. A good substrate has different size particles. This allows air and water to penetrate easily.

The compensation area. 30 ha has already now been planted with indigenous species. Seedlings were planted at a spacing of 3x3 m. At sites that were previously used for livestock ranching and agriculture, holes of 0.4x0.4x0.4m were dug, and filled with crumbled soil and a mixture of compost.

Take advantage of the land between rows of trees stands, for example, by means of agro forestry. Such practices result in resources being reinvested in the project and make it more profitable. It also help to control pest and diseases.

The great wealth of countless rivers and streams in Huila, are flowing down from moors to deep canyons, where streams of impressive waterfalls form also narrow water paths. In the future the natural protected forest of the company will be expanded to become a nature reserve and will only be exclusive for ecological development and research.

The mining company owns 46 ha of natural protected forest with plenty of water sources. In this area nature is protected including the water sources, because this is important to provide constant water to the community.

Visiting Centro de Formacion del SENA- Campoalegro. Commitment to support the reforestation projects with knowledge and students. The institute SENA is doing resources for example about growing cacao.

You can eat the Cacao bean raw. There’s a sweet acidic pulp surrounding the seeds, and the way to eat the fruit is simply to suck on the seeds like a candy, and then throw away the seeds! Cacao (scientific name Theobroma cacao) has long played a role in the country’s history and culture. It is native but unlike most other countries that grow cacao, Colombia’s production has mostly been aimed at meeting demands within its own borders — not so much for chocolate bars, but for traditional drinking chocolate.

Visiting Biocampo Palermo One of the small and medium entrepreneur (SME) who wants to participate in the government's program for forest compensation with the right suppliers such as compost. This is important to make the best substrate quality which is one of the most important influence on seedling growth. They also produce earthworm humus, granulated compost and fertilizer for gardening.

PUM project 2018 – Colombia - Huila