THE PROJECT AND THE BIRD | Saving Colombia’s Cundinamarca Antpitta with Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela

In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most targeted and hopeful conservation efforts in the Colombian Andes: the strategic protection of 43 new acres that extend forest habitat from Refugio del Tororoi, reconnecting isolated patches into a functioning corridor for the Critically Endangered Cundinamarca Antpitta (Grallaria kaestneri).

Dr. Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, conservation scientist and Assistant Professor at UC Santa Cruz, joins Dr. Stuart Pimm and Andy Schiffer to unpack the science, strategy, and stories behind this land purchase—and why this tiny bird urgently needs continuous cloud-forest to survive.

🌿 In this episode we explore:

• How the Antpitta corridor project came about and why these 43 acres were the critical missing piece.
• How connecting forest from 1,700–2,300 meters strengthens protection from Refugio del Tororoi.
• Why the Cundinamarca Antpitta is so vulnerable—and what makes unbroken habitat absolutely non-negotiable.
• What the first 12–24 months of restoration look like once cattle leave and natural regeneration begins.
• The human story: families, birdwatching tourism, and how local livelihoods and conservation win together.

• Which species will benefit first from the new connection—and how early ecological “wins” will be tracked.
• The spatial tools and datasets Natalia uses to decide where land purchases matter most.
• What thresholds, risks, and ecological signals tell conservationists “buy here, not there.”

• Current deforestation pressures in the Eastern Andes and where setbacks are most likely.
• Why fragmentation remains the Antpitta’s biggest long-term threat.

• Which critical data gaps still exist for Andean birds—and how missing information amplifies extinction risk.
• How new monitoring tools help close those gaps.

• Natalia shares the field moment in the Eastern Andes that changed how she thinks about forest corridors.

📌 Event Hosted By:
Dr. Stuart Pimm & Andy Schiffer, Saving Nature
In partnership with Fundación Camaná

🔗 Watch Natalia’s TEDx talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVBDf0rYYbQ

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THE PROJECT & THE BIRDSCIENCE TO MAPS TO LANDRISKS & PRESSURESDATA, GAPS & TOOLSA FIELD STORY YOU WON’T FORGET