Incentives and Payments for Environmental Services in Envigado

@Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Agropecuario

The municipality of Envigado stimulates the conservation of strategic ecosystems that provide goods and services of importance to the territory through payments or incentives, for several reasons among which two can be highlighted: compliance with article 11 of 1999 and complementary norms whose emphasis is the conservation of watersheds supplying aqueducts and compliance with national regulations related to conservation incentives. In its development, the municipality has designed 3 modalities or programs: 1) payment for environmental services (PES), inspired by the BancoO2 model initiated by the Corporación Autónoma Regional de las cuencas de los ríos Negro y Nare "CORNARE" and adapted especially for small farmers or in some agricultural or forestry line in which the conservation of soil, water resources, forests and production methods is stimulated. 2) collection of differentiated property taxes by virtue of the existence of ecosystems with environmental quality, especially natural forest, watersheds and that have restrictions of use for conservation, and 3) stimulus for the purpose of restoration or improvement of ecosystemic conditions supported by the municipal administration (Envigado's Secretary of Environment and Rural Development) from human technical support, advice, supply of material for restoration (plants, agro inputs, and the like), as well as labor for the implementation of the case.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Economic and fiscal instruments›Payments as rewards/for ecosystem services, subsidies, incentives

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Watershed restoration/water quality
Landslide risk
Air quality

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

Currently, although the PES model has been oriented to a small population (smallholder farmers) in relation to the areas of greatest environmental importance, there are plans to expand incentives to areas of greater relevance for their biodiversity or conservation needs, including biodiversity corridors, feline corridors and forests of better conservation status.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Green areas for water management

Good practice characteristics:

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Secretariat for Environment and Agrarian Development

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The local system of protected areas of Envigado (SILAPE) contemplated in its content that incentives should be directed to the owners of private areas to strengthen conservation. From there, a model inspired by CORNARE's BancO2 was generated, which with the help of a contractor was adapted to the municipality of Envigado with an emphasis on peasant producers. Subsequently, approaches and agreements have been made with the government of the Department of Antioquia to maintain the program and seek new horizons. The instrument was designed with technical personnel from the Secretary of Environment and Agricultural Development and through the contracting of a specialized service from the company Mas Bosques, who developed the model adapted to the peasant producers.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Contracting the company Más Bosques

Type of actor involvement:

Hiring

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The municipality of Envigado currently implements and finances the PES following the model mentioned above. This includes the execution of the program and the monitoring of the properties to verify compliance with the agreements made. The Governor's Office of Antioquia has provided financial and technical support for the operation of the model, including the implementation of the banking model.

Targeted actors:

communities

Financing

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

The municipality of Envigado currently finances the PSAs and the government of Antioquia has provided financial support for their operation.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Yes

PES beneficiaries are followed up and a technician is sent to each property to evaluate its status.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Some users from vulnerable social conditions and rural communities benefit economically and adopt a culture of conservation. The PES program has generated some culture at the administrative level in the management of the Secretariat of Environment and Agricultural Development about the perception and disposition towards the development of this type of incentives, and its positive impacts on the relationship between conservation and economic issues.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The model was calculated for local conditions, allowing to value the variables that are beneficial for the ecosystem, in this case the soil, the cultivation zones and the conservation areas, according to the conditions of the peasant communities present in the peri(urban) area of the municipality of Envigado. The PES program helps beneficiaries with the payment of municipal property taxes. It prevents farmers from selling their land because of the high cost of taxes.

Sources and further information

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://ambientometroenvigado.com/secreatria-de-medio-ambiente-y-desarrollo-rura…

Photos

@Secretary of Environment and Agricultural Development