How clearing Colombia’s battlefields could help Indigenous communities save 18,000 hectares of rainforest

Meta, Colombia, 1 October 2026 — The world’s largest landmine clearance charity, The HALO Trust, along with Rainforest Trust and Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) are embarking on a groundbreaking partnership to clear landmines from almost 18,000 hectares (nearly 45,000 acres) of land in Colombia’s Meta region, helping Indigenous communities reclaim and protect their ancestral territory.

The three-year, approximately US$1M project, will focus on 81 families living in Mesetas, home to the Sol Naciente Indigenous community, and Uribe, home to the Nuevo Milenio Indigenous community. The areas sit on the edge of protected rainforest and are vulnerable to illegal logging and other extractive activities.

Once the land is declared mine-free, the Colombian government can designate both areas as Indigenous Reserves, crucially giving communities greater control over the conservation of their territory. The mountainous landscape, around 1,000 metres (more than 3,200 feet) above sea level, is also home to rare and endangered species and important ecosystems.

“This first-of-its-kind partnership for Rainforest Trust expands what conservation can look like. Conservation starts with people being able to safely live on, care for and defend their land. By removing landmines from these ancestral territories, this partnership will help Indigenous communities reclaim access to their lands while creating the conditions for nearly 45,000 acres of critical rainforest habitat to be protected for the long term,” said James Deutsch, CEO of Rainforest Trust.

“Clearing landmines means that these communities can safely access and protect their ancestral lands. This partnership illustrates how mine clearance can do much more than save lives — it can also help Indigenous communities protect some of Colombia’s most valuable ecosystems,” said Oliver Ford, HALO Colombia Programme Manager.

HALO will partner with Rainforest Trust and the Amazon Conservation Team, combining mine clearance with long-term environmental and legal protection. Following explosives clearance, HALO and ACT will provide environmental monitoring equipment and motorbikes for the Indigenous Guard, who will help protect the territory from illegal logging.

The communities will play the central role in the project, developing their own mechanisms to preserve their land.

Work is beginning in Sol Naciente, with the wider project running for three years.

Media Contacts:

Brynn Garner, Rainforest Trust at brynn.garner@rainforesttrust.org/+1 910 617 5370
Emma Pomfret, HALO Trust at emma.pomfret@halotrust.org/+44 7443 232 217

Notes to Editors:

About The HALO Trust

• The HALO Trust was founded in 1988 in Afghanistan and is the world’s largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation.
• HALO works in 30+ countries including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Colombia, Angola and Sri Lanka. We employ 9,000 staff worldwide and recruit 95% of them locally. We deploy groundbreaking technology in conflict and post-conflict settings to help people rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods and keep their children safe.
• HALO also runs programmes in weapons and ammunition management and safety training. During emergencies, we also provide humanitarian aid and logistical support.
• Learn more about HALO’s work

About Rainforest Trust

• Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has been working with partners to safeguard imperiled tropical habitats and threatened species by helping to establish protected and conserved areas in partnership with Indigenous and local organisations and communities.
• To date, Rainforest Trust has helped protect more than 68 million acres of vital habitat across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.
• Rainforest Trust is a nonprofit organization that relies upon the generous support of the public to successfully implement its important conservation action.
• Learn more about the work of Rainforest Trust

About Amazon Conservation Trust (ACT)

• Founded in the  mid-1990s, the Amazon Conservation Team partners with Indigenous and other local communities to protect tropical forests and strengthen traditional culture.
• ACT combines modern mapping tools with local ecological knowledge to help communities monitor and protect their own borders.
• ACT has supported the creation or expansion of 72 Indigenous reserves protecting more than 7.2 million acres.
• Learn more about the work of Amazon Conservation Trust (ACT)