Ordinance 019 on Animal Welfare and planning regulations for urban fauna

The Ordinance 019 on Animal Welfare is a regulatory instrument which aims to regulate and control Urban Fauna. The principle of animal welfare shall be guaranteed in the possession, breeding, commercialisation, reproduction, transport and euthanasia of urban fauna in the Metropolitan District of Quito. The protection and management of Urban Fauna shall be a shared responsibility, natural or legal persons and public or private institutions will jointly and in parallel fulfil their duties and obligations and exercise their rights in a manner consistent with the environment and urban fauna. The ordinance is based on the principle of the population’s right to live in a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, guaranteeing sustainability and good governance. It includes severe penalties for not providing animals with adequate housing, roaming the public space, not registering animals or abandonment.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Sectoral strategy, plan, or law

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Social cohesion
Social equity
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The regulation promotes responsible possession and the natural development of species to ensure protection of urban fauna.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Good practice characteristics:

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Autonomous Government of the District of Quito

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

Different municipal institutions are in charge of the integral management of urban fauna in the Metropolitan District of Quito, e.g. the Governing Body of Health or Environment of the Autonomous Government of the District of Quito. A special role is attributed to the Animal Welfare Unit which is established by the executive of the Autonomous Government of the Metropolitan District of Quito. The Animal Welfare Unit shall have administrative, financial and operational autonomy. The Unit will control and provide services according to the needs and requirements of urban fauna within the principles of animal welfare. It has numerous responsibilities, inter alia, to implement, organize or manage the Metropolitan Registry of Urban Fauna (REMETFU), promote educational campaigns on animal welfare or the establishment of plans and programs for the prevention, management and control of populations of urban fauna.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Type of actor involvement:

Co-planning or co-design of instrument (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

One crucial principle laid out in the ordinance is active civil society engagement, with the aim that any organization or association, dedicated to the rescue, shelter, care, reinsertion of animals and research, promotes the protection and respect for animal welfare and responsible management of urban fauna. Civil Society Organizations registered in the REMETFU are in charge of the integral management of urban fauna in the Metropolitan District of Quito. Furthermore, the Unit on Animal Welfare will promote inter-institutional agreements with civil society organizations.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Citizen councils or consultation for co-planning (e.g. workshops, surveys)

Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Researchers, university

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public regional budget

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

The Autonomous Government of the Metropolitan District of Quito has programs and projects that aim to regulate and control urban fauna through constant evaluation and monitoring, guaranteeing the principles of animal welfare and responsible ownership of animals in Quito.

Did an evaluation take place?:

Yes

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The law establishes through the Autonomous Government of Quito a new Animal Welfare Unit and attributes it with crucial functions. It introduces severe penalties for not complying with the rules set out in the resolution.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The Ordinance 019 on Animal Welfare puts in place an overall management and control of urban fauna in Quito. In particular, it contributes through the implementation of appropriate tools and procedures to the protection of the urban fauna and thus, to the promotion of the conservation of green spaces.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Ordenanza Metropolitana No. 019. (2020). Quito. Available at: https://www7.quito.gob.ec/mdmq_ordenanzas/Administraci%C3%B3n%202019-2023/Proyectos%20ordenanzas/9/ORD-019-2020-MET-FAUNA-URBANA.pdf (Accessed: 30.01.2023)

Further documents

Weblinks:

http://www.quitoinforma.gob.ec/2021/01/11/alcaldia-promulgo-la-ordenanza-019-de-…

Photos

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