The Andean-Amazonian Corridor HYLEA, located in the department of Huila, Colombia, is characterized by its rich biodiversity and its importance as a transition zone between the Andes and the Amazon. The area of the Pact corresponds to 14 municipalities: Acevedo, Agrado, Algeciras, Baraya, Campoalegre, Colombia, Garzón, Gigante, Guadalupe, Hobo, Neiva, Rivera, Suaza and Tello, which occupy an area of 826,900 hectares. The landscape is a mosaic of land covers, the most predominant being dense highland forests, galleries, riparian forests, wooded and clearing grasslands, and dense non-forest grasslands. The total area of conserved forests is 250,000 hectares, however, the entirety of the forest is not covered by the protected areas within the Andean Amazonian Corridor HYLEA which covers 116,570 hectares. The water resources of the Andean-Amazonian Corridor are fundamental, not only for biodiversity but also for the livelihoods of the 14 municipalities that comprise the department of Huila.
Huila stands as Colombia's leading coffee producer, and within the HYLEA landscape, coffee cultivation encompasses an impressive 44,746 hectares, representing 30.5% of the department's total of 146,870 hectares. In addition, Huila contributes significantly to cocoa production, with 4,289 hectares dedicated to this crop within the landscape, which represents 58.6% of the total of 7,320 hectares in the department.
To move towards a broader vision of sustainable landscape, local stakeholders have signed HYLEA's Andean-Amazon Corridor Pact. This initiative, which has the participation of 38 municipal, regional, national, NGO and private sector actors, seeks to promote effective actions for the conservation of ecosystems, the improvement of agricultural productivity and the implementation of sustainable practices, and social inclusion.