Environmental Compensations for the Loss of Biodiversity

Environmental compensations, formalized in Colombia by the MACB (Resolutions 1517/12), aim to obtain measurable results for the conservation of biodiversity based on actions that compensate for residual impacts generated by development projects. Compensation actions should occur after appropriate preventions and implemented mitigation measures (avoid, correct, and mitigate) take place. The overarching goal is to produce zero net less of biodiversity¹.

However, four years after its formalization, neither licensed projects nor environmental authorities have been able to completely implement the actions defined in the MACB: conservation, restoration, and landscape management². The purpose is to sever and update some conceptual paradigms and practices in relation to reforestation as a principal compensation mechanism, consolidating a novel and revolutionary methodology that answers the questions of what, where, how, and how much to compensate in land ecosystems³.

Reflections
• Include social components as part of the main axis of local reinforcement and effectiveness in developed mechanisms for biodiversity conservation
• Transition from static portfolios (maps) to spatial models (spatial databases) for decision making
• Ensure the zero net loss of biodiversity through the technical, legal, and administrative adjustments of the MACB, which make it a valuable instrument for this purpose
• Create application protocols for the involved actors to limit interpretations, decrease uncertainty, establish processes, and ensure cost effective compensations
• Emphasize the importance of monitoring as a feedback mechanism and the evaluation of zero net loss of biodiversity