Chapter 4

Opportunities for territorial management of biodiversity

401

Diversity of Orchids Cundinamarca

The high species richness of orchids in the state of Cundinamarca and their historical use as decorative plants represents an opportunity to create alliances of preservation, research, and sustainable use.

402

International Cooperation in the Environmental Sector

Of the total resources received from international cooperation by Colombia between 2010 and 2015, about 13% were destined to environmetal topics despite the preponderant role these resources have had in the development of environmental policies and as primary source of income for the sector.

403

Environmental Compensations for the Loss of Biodiversity

Although in Colombia there is a tool to guide licensed projects, the Manual de Asignación de Compensaciones por Pérdida de Biodiversidad (Manual for the Assignment of Compensations for the Loss of Biodiversity- MACB for its initials in Spanish), multiple technical, legal, and procedural difficulties have delayed the fullfilment of such obligations in environmental licenses.

2016

404

From Paramo Delimitation to Zoning and Monitoring the High Mountain

Even after delimiting 21 paramo complexes in Colombia, paramo conservation is not ensured. Paramos must be integrated into the surrounding territory, and they should be understood as interdependents ecosystems that are not self-sustainable biogeographical islands.

405

Ecological Restoration

Ecological restoration is a worldwide priority, and Colombia represents an unique opportunity to contribute to the mitigation and adaptation to climate change. It may also be applied in the post-conflict to attain ecosystems that are better preserved in degraded or abandoned productive lands and areas of greater degradation, damage, or destruction.

406

Freshwater Ecoregions of Colombia

It is possible to integrate a dynamic and continuous perspective about freshwater ecosystems with fish species composition and geomorphology in order to construct freshwater ecoregions. Although some hydrographic limits are changed when the historic distribution of species is reinterpreted, this integration ensures the effectivity of conservation.

407

Cattle Raising and Floodplains

In an ecosystem of high hydroclimatic and geomorphologic variability, as are the floodplains of the Orinoquia, social actors have developed cattle raising systems based on the adaptive exploitation and use of biodiversity. This type of cattle raising ensures production processes that may support communities and are also compatible with the conservation of biodiversity.

408

Nature Tourism

Natural and cultural diversity in Colombia favors the consolidation of nature destinations, which may bring economic diversification and an integrated development of the regions.

409

Socio-ecological Systems of the Orotoy River Basin

To propose integrated management strategies, it is essential to conceive the territory as a space where different social and ecological systems converge.

410

Analysis of Scenarios

The analysis of scenarios in contexts of socio-environmental conflicts may be a key element when supporting territorial management. Such is the case of the basin of the Orotoy River, where there are power inequities and an intricate variety of actors involved.

411

Challenging the Urban Model

As evidenced in the collective experiment called Naturaleza Urbana (Urban Nature), the construction of a model of environmentally sustainable cities that manage their biodiversity from different scales, sectors, and approaches is possible.

412

Wetlands to the Rescue of Society

One of the most effective strategies to minimize the impact of floods and droughts is the incorporation of updated information about wetlands in their territorial management, which should acknowledge the complexity and dynamic nature of these ecosystems.