Orinoquia Integrated Sustainable Landscapes

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The objective of the Orinoquia Integrated Sustainable Landscapes project in Colombia is to promote representation of Orinoquia wetlands and savanna lands in land-use planning instruments and landscape connectivity in selected project areas. This project consists of three components. (1) Effective Integration of Environmental Considerations at Appropriate Scales in Territorial and Sector Planning. The lack of up-to-date and accurate information on biodiversity and ecosystem services leads to territorial and municipal land-use planning instruments that do not sufficiently reflect environmental criteria. A need has been identified to improve ecological representation in land use planning, i.e. to ensure the inclusion of variables such as land cover, key ecosystems, protected areas and forest reserves in land-use plans. Subcomponent (1.1) Generation and management of information on biodiversity and ecosystem services for territorial and sector planning. Regional environmental authorities and territorial entities need to manage information with the appropriate specifications on sustainability, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, for its integration into territorial planning and integrated landscape management, at regional and local level. Subcomponent (1.2) Integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services for territorial and sector planning. Under this sub-component, the project will support the development of important land-use planning instruments and ensure they are informed by data generated in subcomponent 1.1. Component (2) Landscape Management for Connectivity and Resilience in Priority Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Areas. This component is aimed at contributing to the ecological functionality of priority landscapes through their integrated management, enhancing the resilience and landscape connectivity of critical areas for biodiversity and ecosystem service provision, with emphasis on the maintenance of water regulation, and the restoration of degraded and fragmented landscapes. Subcomponent (2.1) Strengthening Management of Critically Important Areas and the Protected Areas System at National, Regional and Local Level. Strengthening the national and regional system of protected areas (SINAP, SIRAP), including support to the process of declaring a new national protected area, “Savannahs and Wetlands of Arauca”. Subcomponent (2.2) Sustainable Management for Resilient and Connected Productive Landscapes. Seasonal ecosystems such as the savannahs of Arauca and Casanare, and the altillanura savannahs of Vichada, are generally perceived as “vacant” for any type of development or productive intervention, with pressure increasing to transform these ecosystems. This sub-component will therefore support management of biodiversity at the level of producers and agri-business companies through the adoption of an Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) approaches in productive landscapes (i.e. establishment of corridors in private lands). Subcomponent (2.3) Strengthening Financial and Non-Financial Mechanisms for the Sustainable Management of Important Areas for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. The lack of financial planning tools and of capacity to apply for financial support (credits, royalty funding programs, incentives) for conservation are one of the technical barriers for the financial sustainability of protected areas and of critical importance for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Orinoquia region.