Urban Ecosystem Restoration Measures
SILAPE is the main strategy to guarantee the conservation of municipal strategic ecosystems, both urban and rural. This strategy provides guidelines for environmental conservation through municipal land use planning. It includes environmental goods and services derived from nature, which evidences its functionality and importance in relation to the Main Municipal Ecological Structure. The city of Envigado has 40% of its territory declared as a protected area through the SILAPE strategy (Local System of Protected Areas. Agreement 09, 2016), which is equivalent to 3.299 hectares of its total extension, preserving strategic ecosystems, forests and water tributaries of special importance for ecological connectivity that frames special objects of protection within which are an important part of the wildlife: Woolly tigrillo, Pumas, Tayras, Rana paisa, Olinguito, Zorro perro, zarigüeyas, marmosas, Cacique candela, among other wild species found in the municipality.
The central axis of SILAPE is nature, understood as urban and rural municipal natural land covers, their biodiversity, ecosystemic functionality, and their goods and services. This system includes actions such as conservation, restoration, strategic planning, among others. Restoration is a central component of SILAPE, since one of its main guidelines is to conserve ecosystems that are in good condition and connect them with each other. As well as implementing restoration in key degraded ecosystems to bring them to an optimal state, with special emphasis on the connectivity of ecologically functional areas.
This strategy is of great importance for the citizens of Envigado and the southern region of the Aburrá Valley, since its protection and conservation is linked to the mitigation of climate change, which helps to preserve human life. Likewise, it becomes an incentive for conservation through the appropriation of citizens and visitors as an exercise of contemplation of an important ecosystem that provides environmental goods and services. The knowledge of the SILAPE and the relationship with the inhabitants of the surrounding area promotes an increased sense of belonging to the territory.
The SILAPE is conceived as an umbrella that allows the conservation of all urban protection areas (protected areas, parks, green areas, creek retreats, etc.), considering that any green area can contribute to the network of nature and biodiversity through its connectivity and the improvement of its ecological functionality. The main urban axes that benefit from SILAPE are La Ayurá stream, El Trianón Wetland - La Heliodora Linear Park.