La Venta, a paleontological site located in the desert of La Tatacoa in Villavieja, Huila, was included in the list of 100 World Geological Heritage by UNESCO. This recognition emphasizes the valuable scientific information it offers through its fossils. Andrés Vanegas, a paleontologist from Huila, says this will bring “improvement” to the Huila region.
María Alejandra Ruíz Mallungo
@amperiodista
“A conservation and concentration center containing one of the most diverse and isolated biomes of extinct neotropical rain forest” is the definition under which the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) gives entered, in the early hours of yesterday, the site of La Venta, from the desert of La Tatacoa, in the town of Villavieja, Huila, on the list of the 100 sites cataloged as Geological Heritage of the World.
The news was announced by the president of the IUGS, John Ludden, within the framework of the 37th International Geological Congress (IGC), the most important event in Earth Sciences that takes place every four years and bring together an important part of the world’s geology. community. This year, the conference will be held in Busan, South Korea. The IUGS is an advisory body of UNESCO and one of the most recognized scientific organizations worldwide.
Part of the experts’ justification is that the La Venta area “provides valuable information about the biome in the climate transition to the Middle Miocene.” This means that La Venta has provided a lot of evidence through fossils, of what La Tatacoa was like, in vegetation, climate and animal species (biological area) that existed at the time this in the history of the Earth, also known as “the great. diversity”, where crustaceans, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals converged.
Scientific Wealth
‘La Venta fossils’ is the term used in the scientific field to refer to what has been found in the area. According to Andrés Vanegas, Huila paleontologist and director of the Natural Museum of La Tatacoa, most of these historical signs were found around a small lake of the same name, which has drawn attention to the Opita area .
“La Tatacoa is the place on the planet where the largest fossil remains of monkeys or primates have been found, with more than 14 species, which has been of great international importance, because that this is the place where these animals were best preserved. Also, it is the place where the most fossilized remains of bats have been found, around fifteen species. In La Tatacoa, the remains of dolphins, giant caimans more than 10 meters long and fossils of the largest freshwater turtles on the planet were found,” says the paleontologist.
Even, according to the expert, remains of animal ancestors that are still present today have been found, such as the ‘grandfather’ of the striped catfish and the ancestors of the famous carapace turtles that live in the Magdalena River; Their shells were up to two meters. Both species are currently in danger of extinction.
A lot to discover
Although research in the desert of La Tatacoa has already exceeded 100 years of paleontological history, according to Vanegas, so far in this large area of 375 square kilometers, only 15% of the scientific information has been 100 Find % that this area can produce. .
Currently, in La Tatacoa, areas of scientific and geological interest are being studied and identified, where it will be possible to get more information about what life was like in this region about 13,000 million years ago.
“There are many areas that still need to be explored. New areas were discovered in La Tatacoa. We still don’t know exactly what they are, but studies are being done by the Colombian Geological Service to find out which ones will be prioritized. They are areas that we need to pay attention to in order to preserve it and for communities to understand that fossils are everyone’s heritage,” Vanegas clarifies.
Work for Protection
Regarding this selection by UNESCO, Vanegas pointed out that this important area of great scientific value is attracting global attention, not only to Villavieja, but to Huila in general.
“At the Natural History Museum, we have been working for many years with the aim of preserving, protecting and disseminating scientific knowledge, as well as educating populations about the care and protection of heritage this,” said the expert.
The procedures and documents necessary for the nomination of this important scientific institution were carried out by the Colombian Geological Service (SGC), with the support of the Colombian Ministry of Culture. “This new distinction reaffirms that we are one of the most geo-diverse countries on the planet and that we must continue to come together with local communities, scientists and methods between -national to rebuild and preserve the precious and interesting history that our region offers us. entity referring via Facebook.
proud
From the Natural History Museum of La Tatacoa, they want the community to be proud of this global recognition, because this makes them lucky to live in an area so important for the history of the planet.
“This will give us development, support for protection and conservation, especially in a very important aspect such as tourism, which in the Huila region represents a fundamental connection. This recognition will also contribute to attracting people from all over the world who are interested in history, heritage and all natural aspects, to come to La Tatacoa and discover this beauty,” concluded Vanegas .
