Maria Angélica Tovar Bravo is one of Conservation Nation’s 2023 conservationist grant winners. She is a Colombian conservationist and professional biologist at the Universidad del Amazonas, where she received a master’s degree in herpetology.
In her four-plus years in the conservation field, Maria has focused on threatened reptile and amphibian species, with an emphasis on the critically endangered Orinoco crocodile, which is native to Colombia. She also works closely with the local indigenous communities, establishing trusting, fruitful relationships with people who care deeply about conservation of their land.
In addition to her work in the field, Maria is on the board of directors of the Women for Biodiversity Corporation, a Colombian environmental non-profit organization founded in 2009.
Ethno-program for the Conservation of the Orinoco Crocodile in the Colombian Amazon Basin
Maria plans to continue her critical conservation work of the Orinoco crocodile by strengthening the conservation capacities of the Yucuna community. This indigenous group lives in the Colombian Amazon basin along with the reptile, and is familiar with the various ways that the Orinoco crocodile is threatened by human activities.
The situation is dire for the largest American crocodile species, which currently has fewer than 50 mature pairs in the wild. To combat the illegal trafficking, habitat destruction, and climate change that affects these reptiles’ home, Maria will work with the Yucuna and the University of Amazonas to create a 95% threat-free security area and 3,200 hectares of crocodile ecological corridors, with the goal of improving the Orinoco crocodile’s conservation status via population increase.
