FACTSHEET 2016
SIGNIFICANT STORIES: FORGING A PATH TO SUSTAINABLE TERRITORIAL PLANNING IN THE COLOMBIAN PIEDMONT
WWF FOREST AND CLIMATE PROGRAMME
1 SOURCE: WWF COLOMBIA / DANIEL ORTEGA
2 SNAPSHOT COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS
What » A diverse group of stakeholders set out to address the risks and chal- lenges of climate change in Colombia’s Andean-Amazonian Piedmont Region by mobilizing local municipalities to include guidelines for climate change adaptation and mitigation in their zoning and development plans.
» Despite their scant resources, the stakeholders surpassed their goals and successfully incorporated these guidelines into the regulatory frameworks of ten different communities in Putumayo and the neighbouring depart- ments of Caquetá and Cauca.
» Key lessons learned through this process illustrate the power of strengthening local capacities, cultivating one-on-one connections, and working in unconventional ways to navigate municipal decision making.
» This process created new knowledge and partnerships, and it innovated an effective and replicable approach for incorporating climate change considerations into the laws that govern territorial planning.
Who WWF contact Ilvia Niño, Piedmont Program Officer, WWF-Colombia. [email protected]
Direct stakeholders Involved in project design, make decisions, and receive benefits » Local council members and mayors » Municipal planning officials and departments » The Corporation for the Sustainable Development of Southern Amazonia (Corpoamazonía), the regional environmental authority
Strategic stakeholders Provide material, human, and other resources » Municipal governments of Colón, Sibundoy, Santiago, San Francisco, Mocoa, Villa Garzón and Puerto Leguízamo (Putumayo); Piamonte (Cauca); Albania and Belén de los Andaquíes (Caquetá) » The Governments of Putumayo and Caquetá » World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Indirect stakeholders Influence practice without being directly involved » Natural National Parks
Where Colombia’s Andean-Amazonian foothills, or Piedmont region
When 2014-ongoing © JUAN PABLO CERRATO / WWF-COLOMBIA
COVER PHOTO: © Kevin Schafer / WWF
3 SUMMARY this important step represents an National Parks, and WWF to work enforceable, long-term commitment toward a shared goal, strengthening his Forest and Climate to sustainable development. It also their capacities and engaging them in Significant Story describes the offers an opportunity to scale up local planning the region’s future in new process through which local efforts through a replicable, effective ways. As this approach is replicated in Tcommunities in Colombia’s approach—one that is already more communities—and as the Andean-Amazonian Piedmont region spreading to communities beyond the resulting plans and laws are imple- successfully incorporated guidelines borders of the ten initial mented—it may help give rise to for climate change adaptation and municipalities. inclusive, equitable, and sustainable mitigation into their legal frameworks development in Colombia’s Andean- for territorial development planning. This process brought together munici- Amazonian Piedmont. By establishing a legal basis for pal government leaders, the regional factoring climate into future plans, environmental authority, Natural
“FOSTERING AWARENESS AMONG LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ABOUT THE ABILITY WE ALL HAVE TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE IS A CONSIDERABLE ACHIEVEMENT.”
Luz Ángela Flórez, Piedmont Policy Officer, WWF. © DIEGO M. GARCES / WWF
4 INTRODUCTION TO KEY CONCEPTS
When this work began, its goal was to bring climate change mitigation and adaptation to the forefront of municipal planning. Mitigation refers to activities that reduce climate change by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions or by protecting and enhanc- ing the “sinks”—such as forests—that capture and store these gases. Adaptation involves adjusting to the changing climate by preparing for its potential consequences, such as sea level rise, drought, or increased erosion and flooding.
The stakeholders in this process sought to incorporate strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation into the territorial planning tools used by municipalities in the Amazon Piedmont:
• Land Use Plan (POT), if the municipality has more than 100,000 inhabitants;
• Land Use Basic Plan (PBOT), if the municipality has between 30,000 and 100,000 inhabitants;
• Or Land Use Scheme (EOT), if the municipality has fewer than 30,000 inhabitants.
The POT, PBOT or EOT outlines the overall vision for the future of the municipality, including how a community will grow, how it will use and zone its land, and how it will manage risks and disasters, among other elements. These plans or schemes are approved for a period of 12 years, and then must be reviewed and revised. They may also be shaped by more powerful “FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, CLIMATE CHANGE municipal laws. Municipal laws are MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION ARE KEY ELEMENTS FOR presented to local governments as draft agreements, which must then be debated THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THIS REGION; IT IS NOT ONLY A and approved by the city council members MATTER OF RISK MANAGEMENT, IT IS A MATTER OF
and mayor in order to become law. © JULIE PUDLOWSKI / WWF-US Municipal laws are often difficult to change, WELLBEING FOR THE POPULATION AND HEALTH OF THE which provides permanence and stability to ECOSYSTEMS.” the agreements, supporting long-term green development in the region. Orlando Díaz Aguirre. Corpoamazonía.
5 CONTEXT support at the local level compounds this larger problem. Municipalities in this Across more than a million square region have only recently adopted land kilometres, Colombia encompasses great use and development plans, and often biological and cultural diversity. Its lack the financial and technical resources geography is home to Andean highlands, to complete them. Climate change Amazonian rainforests, and more than considerations are often omitted, 3,000 kilometres of coastline along both because they are poorly understood by the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, along decision makers and met with confusion with vibrant Afro-Colombian, indigenous, and suspicion. and other ethnic communities and cultures found nowhere else in the world. It was within this context that stakeholders, including local leaders, the regional “ON A TEAM The landscape where the Andean foothills environmental authority Corpoamazonía, LEVEL AND A meet the Amazon Basin—known as the and WWF, set out to build a new Andean-Amazonian Piedmont—boasts understanding of climate change and a way PERSONAL LEVEL, some of the greatest biodiversity within for communities to address its potential I FEEL VERY Colombia. Eighty-five percent of this impacts in their planning. WWF has been region’s nearly 1.5 million hectares are working in Putumayo, one of the PROUD THAT WE forested, providing habitat to 977 bird departments within Colombia’s Andean- ARE LEAVING A species, 101 reptile species, 105 amphibian Amazonian Piedmont, since 2007, and in species, and 254 mammal species, the departments of Caquetá and Cauca LEGACY—IN TIME including the emblematic and vulnerable since 2013—all the while building AND SPACE— spectacled bear and mountain tapir. The partnerships and trust among key local Andean-Amazonian Piedmont is also actors. It drew on this deep connection with FOR OUR home to the headwaters of two major the region as it set about facilitating the DEPARTMENT.” tributaries of the Amazon River, and to inclusion of climate change adaptation and twelve ethnically distinct indigenous mitigation measures in local land use plans. groups that live and depend on the land Jesús Iles, Piedmont and its resources. Policy Consultant, WWF. APPROACH The vital forests of the Andean-Amazonian Piedmont face significant threats. It is WWF initiated this process with the projected that this region could lose 91,544 intention of acting as a facilitator only. It hectares—21.6 percent of its conserved sought to ease the process of bringing forest—by 2040. Mining, illicit crop guidelines and provisions for climate cultivation, illegal logging, expansion of change adaptation and mitigation into local artificial prairies linked to extensive territorial planning. This would entail livestock systems, the expansion of analysing the state of existing municipal agro-industrial cultivation (for palm oil, land use plans (POTs, PBOTs or EOTs), among other products), and the assessing the needs of local communities in construction of roads and ports all drive the face of climate change, and offering deforestation and forest degradation in the technical support to address these needs in Andean-Amazonian Piedmont. Climate the plans. change presents an additional threat to forest health, by raising temperatures and But as the analysis began and as WWF © CAMILO ORTEGA / WWF-COLOMBIA altering rainfall patterns in the region. learned more about municipal policy- and decision-making, the need for a new and Political turmoil, weak environmental different approach emerged. It became governance, mismanagement of resources clear that seeking to include climate and possibilities for cooperation, and change considerations in municipal internal conflict ongoing since the 1950s laws would affect more lasting make it difficult to combat forest loss, by change than including them in POTs, limiting opportunities and incentives for PBOTs or EOTs, as these are reviewed and conservation. Lack of knowledge and revised every 12 years.
6 Corpoamazonía and WWF ultimately assumed a leadership role in this endeavour, and with their partners developed an eight-step process to develop and incorporate climate change considerations into municipal laws. “IN MOCOA, THE ADOPTION OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE GUIDELINES WAS e elop a legal do ment o tlining Create dra t agreements the h omm nities sho ld in l de APPROVED STEP 1 pre rsors to m ni ipal limate hange in their lo al STEP 2 la s hese are modelled reg lator rame or his UNANIMOUSLY BY a ter agreements alread do ment in l des a des ription o s ess ll adopted and international and national THE MUNICIPAL made la ith a ormat that ommitments to om at limate in l des a pream le and hange and in ormation a o t the COUNCIL. THIS sample g idelines ased on po ers o ma ors and m ni ipalities national g idelines or to shape the reg lator rame or SUCCESS WAS DUE limate hange adaptation or land se and ris management and mitigation TO THE COMMITMENT OF ALL THE INVOLVED STEP 3 denti e onta ts ho ena le Corpoamazon a F and their partners to de elop ne and inno ati e a s or approa hing lo al ma ors hese ACTORS, FROM THE are er o ten thro gh lo al o n il mem ers ho are interested in the s e t o limate hange and tr sted the ma or and other lo al leaders DESIGNATED hro gh in ormal dis ssions these e onta ts are in ormed a o t the potential impa t o limate hange on the omm nit and its en ironment SPEAKER, TO THE e onom land se planning and ris management he goal o this step is to open omm ni ation a o t limate hange onsiderations ith the it MAYOR, THE o n il and ma or STEP 4 COUNCIL, WWF,
Cond t in ormal meetings AND THE STEP 5 and small or shops a o t the asi on epts o ENVIRONMENTAL limate hange ith the lo al o n il AUTHORITY.” eet ith the ma or to present the dra t agreement and to dis ss the rele an e o planning Lorena Muriel, Planning or limate hange he ma or then de ides hether to send the agreement to the it o n il Office Secretary, Mocoa here it m st e presented a designated Municipality. spea er hosen rom among the o n il Prepare the spea er or mem ers and de ated or appro al STEP 6 representati e to present and de end the agreement ith the help o Corpoamazon a and other apa it - ilding partners Pro ide te hni al or other STEP 7 s pport as needed hile the spea er presents the dra t Present the agreement to agreement to the planning the o n il here it is ommission he agreement de ated the agreement m st e presented to the STEP 8 is then appro ed it ommission e ore it an e e omes a m ni ipal a t onsidered the ll o n il or la © JULIE PUDLOWSKI / WWF-US
This eight-step process is replicable in any community with comparable municipal policy- making procedures and government structure, and can be adapted to the specific situation of each community.
7 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE 2014: WWF, Corpoamazonía, and June 2015: An agreement to include other stakeholders discuss the need climate change guidelines is for “climate-smart” territorial approved and signed into law in 2007: WWF begins its work in planning, but are not sure where to Sibundoy, Santiago and San Putumayo, collaborating closely with begin. A series of serendipitous Francisco (Putumayo). local communities to address conversations raises the possibility of pressures and threats to conservation using the land use plans required of August 2015: The municipalities of in Colombia’s Andean-Amazonian municipalities to address climate Leguízamo (Putumayo), Albania and Piedmont. change adaptation and mitigation. Belén de los Andaquíes (Caquetá) adopt the climate change guidelines 2010: WWF and Corpoamazonía form The municipality of as law. a partnership to validate a November 2014: Colón adopts the climate change compensation scheme for adaptation and mitigation guidelines October 2015: Popular election of environmental goods and services as part of the adjustment of its new mayors, municipal councils, and provided by local livestock producers. territorial planning instrument. departmental governments. Through this effort and over the subsequent four years, they come to December 2015: Policy-changing work closely with local ranchers on December 2014 through early 2015: Corpoamazonía and WWF set out to work continues, with 7 municipalities incorporating sustainable practices bring climate change considerations in Putumayo and 3 in the and see first-hand the importance of into POTs and EOTs, but soon shift neighbouring departments of Caquetá planning for the impacts of climate their focus to municipal laws. and Cauca approving agreements to change. Key contacts are identified and the incorporate climate change guidelines process of connecting and capacity into municipal law. 2012: Corpoamazonía initiates its building begins. own project to strengthen and support January 2016: New municipal and local municipalities and community The city council of Mocoa departmental governments come organizations in identifying and May 2015: (Putumayo) unanimously approves into office. Corpoamazonía and managing climate change-related the proposed agreement, WWF begin working with the new risks. incorporating guidelines for climate governments to foster understanding change adaptation and mitigation of these new municipal laws and 2013: WWF begins its work in the into municipal law. The city councils their importance. Piedmont zones of the Departments of of Villa Garzón (Putumayo) and Cauca and Caquetá. Piamonte (Cauca) followed Mocoa’s example.
“WWF GAVE US A COMPREHENSIVE EXPLANATION ABOUT THE CLIMATE CHANGE GUIDELINES, THE IMPLICATIONS, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MOCOA. I WAS ABLE TO PRESENT TO THE MAYOR, AND FINALLY HE SAID: YES, THIS IS VERY INTERESTING FOR OUR MUNICIPALITY, LET’S DO IT.” © JUAN PABLO CERRATO / WWF-COLOMBIA Lorena Muriel, Planning Office Secretary, Mocoa Municipality.
8 “THESE MUNICIPAL LAWS HAVE BEEN A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT. BUT WE BELIEVE THIS IS THE FIRST STEP; WE HAVE LEARNED MANY THINGS, BUT WE HAVE ALSO GENERATED MANY EXPECTATIONS.”
Ilvia Niño, Piedmont Program Officer, WWF-Colombia ©WWF-COLOMBIA
EXPECTED RESULTS by ten different communities in CHALLENGES Putumayo and the neighbouring n Incorporate climate change departments of Caquetá and Cauca. n Myths and misinformation about considerations into territorial climate change abound in the planning in Putumayo, through n An agreement is already in place with Andean-Amazonian Piedmont, even municipal land use plans (POTs, the regional environmental authority, among council members and other PBOTs or EOTs). Corpoamazonía, to replicate the local government officials, and this process throughout Putumayo. This makes it difficult to help local n Implement those plans on the process has forged a new path to governments understand the ground, so communities are municipal policy change, one importance of planning for potential prepared and empowered to developed by the region’s key climate change impacts. Building confront climate change. stakeholders in a participatory way capacities and providing support— and rooted in the region’s realities. It particularly through the participation n Create or strengthen capacities is an effective, replicable approach of Corpoamazonía—is essential for among mayors, council members, that can be adapted to the needs of the success and survival of climate and other local leaders so they can many communities facing similar change adaptation and mitigation become key stakeholders and risks and challenges. efforts. proponents of climate change adaptation and mitigation. n Community leaders have become n The capacity building required by more knowledgeable about climate this process is expensive in terms of change and more invested in space, resources, and materials, and ACHIEVEMENTS addressing it at the local level as a in terms of the time the team must result of their involvement in this dedicate to the effort for it to succeed. n Despite limited resources and process and their pride in its results. That need for support and resources support, the partners in this process will continue to grow as the process surpassed their goals. They n Municipalities have become shifts its focus from policy making to successfully incorporated climate more empowered and aware of the implementation on the ground. change considerations into territorial role they can play in confronting planning – not through POTs, PBOTs climate change. Before this work, n Political change through the election or EOTs with limited terms, but environmental challenges were seen of new mayors, municipal council through permanent municipal laws as the domain of Corpoamazonía. members, governors and other local that must be reflected in all land use The capacity-building and policy- leaders creates uncertainty. These plans. These laws represent a changing process described here new leaders may seek to develop new long-term commitment to reaffirmed that local governments plans for development and growth climate change adaptation and can and must take action to address without awareness of the recently mitigation, and have been adopted environmental challenges for adopted municipal laws and their themselves.
9 guidelines for climate change had strong ties to the region and municipal leaders and working to adaptation and mitigation. If the new understood its realities. That helped build capacities and trust, every leaders are not engaged in the guide their approach, which included detail becomes important. process too and if their capacities are using unconventional channels to Remembering names (for example, not developed, the progress made so gain access to mayors and other the name of a community’s municipal far could be lost. leaders. And this approach in turn council president), observing and created new connections and identifying council members who capacities that empowered local clearly have an interest in the subject OPPORTUNITIES leaders to get behind the laws they and will serve as strong allies, and were proposing, which strengthened making time to meet with them one n If the relationship that has developed their personal commitment to the on one were all small actions that between WWF, Corpoamazonía, initiative as well. significantly contributed to the local governments and other success of the process. stakeholders remains strong, then n Successful initiatives are not the policy making engine they have checklists. In a complex process, formed together can continue to everyone—from individual team effect change. That presents the members to the community at HIGHLIGHTS AND INNOVATIONS possibility of making a visible, large—must be flexible and patient. tangible difference on the ground— Ticking off achievements on a to-do n This process has created an in the municipality’s development list won’t lead to lasting change, but innovative and unconventional over time, for example—as the laws an openness to unexpected eight-step approach for building are implemented. opportunities and a willingness to capacities and connections with look beyond the immediate to the local leaders and working with them n The agreement forged with bigger picture will go a long way. to pass new laws. This approach Corpoamazonía to replicate this can be replicated in other process in other municipalities can n Focusing on relevance communities that have similar local extend climate change adaptation and lived experience can make government policies and structures and mitigation efforts to the whole complex concepts more and that face similar challenges, Andean-Amazonian Piedmont region. compelling and accessible. anywhere in the world. Climate change mitigation and n The lessons learned and the local adaptation are not always easy or n Undertaking this process forced the process developed here could be politically attractive concepts to WWF team to strengthen its scaled up to help inform regional and understand. But the right approach relationship with governors, mayors national programs. Some of the can make all the difference. For and other local leaders, and to learn stakeholders have already established example, local community leaders more about local governments and contacts with the Ministry of may find it difficult to understand policy-making than it ever did before. Environment and Sustainable complex climate science, but they do By assembling a committed and Development to see how they might know the intense droughts, altered capable group of staff members and seize this opportunity. crop conditions, and increasing fellow stakeholders, the team was floods their communities have able to effect change even as it experienced first-hand. They also ventured into new territory. LESSONS LEARNED know their powers and responsibilities as leaders. These n The success of this local/ n In order for an initiative realms of experience offer two regional endeavour has positioned to succeed, it must belong to its different approaches to engage local WWF as a key actor in the Andean- stakeholders. One key element in government officials. By appealing to Amazonian Piedmont, with the the success of this process was its what they know and what they are potential to bring its innovations to deep roots in the Andean-Amazonian responsible for, it is possible to make national policies and processes. Piedmont region. From the WWF them care about climate change risk and Corpoamazonía team members management, mitigation, and who helped spearhead the process to adaptation. the local leaders who embraced it and adopted new laws as a result, all the n Details matter. When using stakeholders involved in this process unofficial channels for access to
10 NEXT STEPS n With an agreement to replicate this process throughout and beyond Putumayo now in place, Corpoamazonía, WWF and their partners in the Andean-Amazonian Piedmont aim to keep the process going. They are working to ensure that more municipalities incorporate guidelines for climate change mitigation and adaptation into municipal law, and that any development and zoning plans proposed in the coming years comply with the law and address the potential impacts of climate change. “THINKING OF NEXT STEPS, IT IS KEY TO CIRCULATE THE MUNICIPAL LAW TO THE PEOPLE n This process must move from policy advocacy to implementation on the ground FROM MOCOA: THE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY in order to effect real change. To that end, ORGANIZATIONS, THE SCHOOLS… the stakeholders are seeking additional resources and funding to create pilot EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW THE CLIMATE CHANGE
activities that put the newly adopted © WWF-COLOMBIA AGREEMENT THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED, AND guidelines for climate change mitigation and adaptation into action in the region. COMMIT TO MAKE IT REAL.”
Cecilia Pérez, Municipal Counsellor of Mocoa. n The approach and lessons learned that emerged from this process must be consolidated and shared so that other communities—and even regional and “CORPOAMAZONÍA WILL CONTINUE THIS WORK national processes within Colombia— can benefit. TO GUARANTEE THAT THE NATIONAL GUIDELINES ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND CONCLUSION MITIGATION ARE REALLY INCORPORATED INTO THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT INSTRUMENTS In Colombia’s Putumayo Department, THAT MUNICIPALITIES HAVE TO DESIGN AND stakeholders with diverse and different backgrounds have come together to carve out IMPLEMENT. THAT IS OUR TASK FROM NOW ON.” a new path. The approach they have pioneered has built new capacities and Saira Romo, Corpoamazonía. partnerships in a still-growing number of communities, and it has resulted in the passage of municipal laws that for the first time incorporate guidelines for climate change mitigation and adaptation. But the stakeholders’ work has only just begun. Addressing climate change in the Andean-
Amazonian Piedmont is a process, not a © PABLO CORRAL / WWF project, and it must now be implemented on the ground and put into real action to ensure that the region can face the risks and challenges of climate change in an effective, inclusive and sustainable way.
11 REC CLED SIGNIFICANT STORIES: FORGING A PATH TO SUSTAINABLE TERRITORIAL PLANNING IN THE COLOMBIAN PIEDMONT and biodiversity in transformational ways. and biodiversity in transformational ways. panda.org/forestclimate WWF’s Forest and Climate team works to ensure that the conservation of tropical forests as carbon stores is secured the conservation of tropical forests as carbon stores is secured by green economic development that benefits people, the climate by green economic development that benefits people, the climate OUR VISION / wwf / wwfforestcarbon With URL - OR If there is no UR
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