Los Katíos National Park, Colombia Photo gallery

Los Katíos National Park in Colombia has come off the List of World Heritage in Danger on 30 June 2015, following IUCN’s advice.

Los Katíos National Park was inscribed in 1994 as the first natural World Heritage site in Colombia.

It was placed on the ‘danger list’ in 2009 due to illegal activities, which proliferated in a climate of armed conflict in the area.

The park authority has since regained control of the site through concrete action on the ground, such as intensified patrolling.

View of Los Katíos National Park from the Atrato River. To this day, access to the World Heritage site continues to be made by boat.

Extending over 72,000 ha in north-western Colombia, the park comprises forests, low hills and wetlands.

An exceptional biodiversity is found in the park, which is home to many threatened animal species, as well as many endemic plants.

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The site is part of a biodiversity ‘hotspot’ identified as irreplaceable for species survival in a recent IUCN study.

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While jaguars are rarely seen, their tracks and marks are a common sight on the river banks and trails of Los Katíos.

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“Arracachales” are important habitats in the park. Comparable to mangroves, they nurse fish and crustaceans.

The livelihoods of some local communities living on the margins of the park depend heavily on its fish and shellfish resources.

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www.iucn.org/worldheritage