5 big airlines will share new long-haul flights to Reagan National Airport near Washington
US offers conditional loan guarantees worth about $3 billion for two sustainable aviation fuel projects
Pro-Israel professor at Columbia barred from campus after harassing and intimidating other employees
Zeta drug lord continued to control cartel from inside a Mexican prison, says US indictment
Columbia University temporarily bans pro-Israel professor Shai Davidai after October 7 protest
PPG misses quarterly profit estimates on weak industrial coatings demand
Robinhood launches desktop platform, adds futures and index options trading to app
Ramírez's late homer in Game 2 gives Guardians lift as they prepare to face Yankees in 0-2 ALCS hole
Liam Payne, former One Direction member, dead at 31
(Reuters) - A transformation has taken root in Colombia's jungle heartland, as farmers once engaged in coca cultivation and deforestation are switching to eco-tourism, which is offering new livelihoods for hundreds of residents.
Thanks to farmers transitioning to tour guides, visitors can now marvel at the ancient cave paintings of Cerro Azul or the vibrant pink aquatic plants that grace Cano Sabana in San Jose del Guaviare, located about 400 km (250 miles) southeast of capital Bogota.
"Some of the people who are local guides today were great deforesters," says Joaquin Vargas, who works for local farmer organization Fantasias de Cerro Azul Puerta del Chiribiquete.
Operating in an area previously gripped by guerrilla warfare and illicit drug production, the region has steadily opened up following the 2016 peace agreement between a major armed rebel group known as the FARC and the Colombian government.
(This story has been corrected to fix the year of the peace agreement to 2016, not 2017, in paragraph 4)
(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Raúl Cortés Fernández; Editing by Sandra Maler)
