HALO Trust, Rainforest Trust, and ACT Launch Project to Clear Landmines in Colombia’s Meta Region

The HALO Trust, Rainforest Trust, and the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) announced a partnership on October 1, 2026, to clear landmines from nearly 18,000 hectares (approximately 45,000 acres) of land in Colombia’s Meta region. The three-year initiative aims to enable local Indigenous communities to safely access and manage their ancestral territories.

The project, valued at approximately US$1 million, focuses on 81 families across two communities: the Sol Naciente Indigenous community in Mesetas and the Nuevo Milenio Indigenous community in Uribe. These areas are located on the edge of protected rainforest and are exposed to threats from illegal logging and other extractive practices. The mountainous landscape, situated roughly 1,000 meters above sea level, also hosts rare and endangered species.

According to the organizations, clearing the explosives will allow the Colombian government to formally designate the cleared areas as Indigenous Reserves, granting the communities legal authority and control over the conservation of their land.

Following mine clearance operations, HALO and ACT plan to supply motorbikes and environmental monitoring equipment to the Indigenous Guard to assist in protecting the territory from illegal logging. The organizations stated that local communities will play a central role in the project by developing their own land preservation mechanisms.

Initial clearance operations are beginning in Sol Naciente as part of the broader three-year timeline.

Source