GeoPark, Cataruben Foundation launch Orinoquía Regenera, an 80,000-hectare sustainable agriculture project financed by Bancolombia

This project contributes to the transformation of livestock farming in Meta and Casanare through silvopastoral systems, with interventions in about 80,000 hectares. The Cataruben Foundation estimates that the project could benefit 400 rural families and create more than 7 million carbon credits

GeoPark and the Cataruben Foundation have launched Orinoquía Regenera, a long-term initiative that seeks to transform livestock farming in Meta and Casanare and contribute to capturing emissions through nature-based solutions, with measurable environmental, social and economic impacts. Bancolombia is supporting this project with US$3 million in sustainable financing.

Deforestation in Colombia continues to present a challenge, and according to IDEAM data, Meta and Casanare departments recorded a combined loss of 28,085 hectares of forest in 2024. Orinoquía Regenera aims to stop deforestation in properties where the project is implemented, working with livestock producers to transition towards sustainable livestock farming by implementing silvopastoral systems, good environmental practices and regenerating soils.

“Agriculture is a pillar of Colombia’s progress and must grow sustainably. For this reason, we support initiatives that produce without exhausting resources: they regenerate soils, protect water and strengthen biodiversity, while opening opportunities and generating income for rural families. This is how we demonstrate that nature and productivity can – and should – head in the same direction,” said Bancolombia Corporate Vice President of Business, Mauricio Rosillo.

Orinoquía Regenera complements GeoPark’s efforts to reduce emissions, an area in which it has made significant progress through projects including interconnecting its main production fields to Colombia’s national power grid, implementing energy efficiency processes, and managing methane.

Felipe Bayon, GeoPark Chief Executive Officer, said: “Decarbonizing our operations is a strategic decision that reinforces our efficiency and resilience. With Orinoquía Regenera we go a step further, coordinating efforts with top-level partners to develop a project that allows us to offset residual emissions and at the same time, create value in the territories where we operate. It is a concrete expression of how sustainability is linked to the business strategy.”

The initiative is implemented by the Cataruben Foundation, a non-profit organization created in 2013 that works in Colombia and the Orinoquía area promoting nature-based solutions for climate action and rural development.

“The Orinoquía area has enormous potential to produce, conserve and generate well-being. With this project, we seek to ensure that ranchers receive additional income for the ecosystem services that their farms already provide, while moving towards more sustainable and productive models. This shows that nature can also be an economic engine for rural communities,” Cataruben Foundation Manager Maria Fernanda Wilches said.

According to estimates by the Cataruben Foundation, Orinoquía Regenera has the potential to generate more than 7 million carbon credits certified under the VERRA standard, which would represent verified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The three entities hope that this approach, which integrates sustainable livestock and conservation, can be replicated in other livestock systems in the country.