Context
Colombia's Orinoco Basin ecosystems are vital to the prosperity and economic development of the region due to their biodiversity and abundance of water: clean water, agricultural areas, carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change, protection against floods and droughts. The development plans for the region envisage an extension and intensification of agriculture. If these do not take into account the conservation and protection of ecosystems, the ecological stability of the region is endangered. The result would be an enormous risk for humans.
Objective
The economic value of nature’s benefits for people and examples of sustainable land use of the Orinoquia are integrated into regional and agricultural development planning.
Approach
The TONINA project (named after the region's emblematic pink river dolphin) cooperates with national, regional and local authorities as well as the private sector in the Orinoquía, Colombia. The following four action areas are the focus of the project: Understanding, learning, applying and protecting:
Spreading knowledge and awareness of decision makers and local communities about the economic value of nature, e.g. public and private sector representatives, municipal officials or farmers.
Development of criteria for methods and tools for the protection of biodiversity, of paramount importance for human livelihoods.
Taking account of the economic value of nature: representatives of the public and private sectors jointly plan and implement sustainable land use.
Measuring and observing: Developing a monitoring system to establish the evidence of the development of biodiversity and the economic contribution of nature.
Sharing knowledge: Progress, learning experiences and successful project models are disseminated nationally and internationally.
In addition, the project is developing incentives for sustainable land use models. In addition, a strategy will be developed for additional funds for the protection of biodiversity from the public and private sectors. The Colombian Biodiversity Research Institute Alexander von Humboldt and the German Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) support the implementation of the project.
Impacts
In total, more than 47,000 people will benefit from the contribution of GIZ to preserving nature (ecosystems and their services).
Public and private sector decision-makers, local officials and farmers will improve their knowledge and skills to protect biodiversity.
Public and private sector representatives will jointly plan a more sustainable use of nature.
A monitoring system will monitor the development of biodiversity, for example the decline of the latter.
Progress, learning experiences and successful project models are disseminated at events and through publications.