Thanks to the support of Rainforest Trust, World Land Trust, American Bird Conservancy and Saving Nature, we were able to expand the reserve in 2184 ha. This expansion allowed us to protect the eastern shore of the Barbacoas Lake, and protect the largest and well preserve forest patch in the area and connect it to the northern patch, creating a 2700 ha corridor of continuous forest habitat (possibly the largest in the region). It also made the reserve neighbour to the local fishermen community, creating opportunities for further collaboration and involvement of the community in conservation. As a starting point, we designated a community-based restoration area along the northern shore of the Barbacoas and Magdalena Rivers, directly benefitting the community, with the support of the GEF-Magdalena Cauca Project (Fundación Natura) and Plant for the Planet.