Public-private collaboration for an urban ecological belt - Guatemala City

The Metropolitan Ecological Belt of Guatemala ('CEM') is a multi-layered project to establish a system of natural areas under different protection and management schemes in Guatemala City. Set up in 1995 and administered by the Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación (FUNDAECO, a private foundation) in agreement with the City of Guatemala, the CEM seeks to guarantee a sustainable production of environmental services, increase the quality of life of its local inhabitants and become a central feature of the city's identity and urban landscape. The Municipal Ecological Belt is not an isolated plan, but part of Guatemala City's Land Use Plan under the Metropolitan Development Directorate of the Municipality of Guatemala. A large share of the municipality of Guatemala's physical area is part of the CEM (41%). Amongst the project's actions is the recovery of forested ravines that constitute large parts of the municipal area. In addition, the project shows how non-governmental actors such as foundations can successfully set-up restoration projects that are integrated within a city's wider policy framework and linked with municipal planning. In many areas of the project, FUNDAECO collaborates with private land owners to implement its nature conservation measures. The protection of the ravines through Municipal Ordinances and the establishment of Natural Reserves has been contributing to increasing the quality of life in Guatemala City, providing opportunities for recreation and direct contact with nature; social, cultural and educational programs. So far, more than 400,000 citizens could be reached through guided ecological tours and campaigns. In addition, the project helped to create jobs and business opportunities for small family businesses in peri-urban neighborhoods; enhanced productive social reintegration opportunities for at-risk youth and increased public safety for structurally-disadvantaged neighborhoods. Through the promotion of municipal land management plans, protected area master plans, and the creation, restoration and protection of nine ecological parks and nature reserves, the project has directly contributed to the conservation of around 16,500 ha of forested ravines in the metropolitan region, together forming a green network of protected spaces.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Public-private business agreement

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Watershed restoration/water quality
Heat stress and heat island effect
Landslide risk
Air quality
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The project aims to tackle challenges such asurban sprawl, large inequalities and a risk of landslides in large parts of Guatemala City that are dominated by ravines and hillside area through a focus on multifunctional nature-based solutions that deliver different ecosystem services. Key services include recreational benefits, such as bird watching as well as provisioning, regulating and supporting services, such as erosion and flood control, air and water purification. The project set out to protect more than 5,000 hectares of forests located on land that was deemed unsuitable for urban expansion.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Green areas for water management

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Support multifunctional NBS

Governance

Non-governmental actor(s)

Initiating body:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The project was set up by the private Guatemalan foundation FUNDAECO. In 1995, FUNDAECO created the first Metropolitan Ecological Park in a city ravine ("Parque Cayalá"). This ravine had traditionally been considered a socioeconomically weak neighborhood marked by high levels or poverty and environmental pollution. Throughout the establishment phase, FUNDAECO closely cooperated with the municipal government of the City of Guatemala to ensure an integration of the project in the city's wider policy framework.

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Details about the implementation:

In many areas of the project, FUNDAECO collaborates with private land owners to implement its nature conservation measures. In the Parque Cayalá, FUNDAECO administers land owned by the Autonomous Sports Confederation of Guatemala -CDAG- with the aim of increasing local biodiversity but also attracting recreational activities such as bird watching as well as environmental education through guided tours. In another part of the metropolitan ecological belt, which includes the Kaminaljuyú Reserve, neighbors have made their green areas and parts of the ravine available to the reserve and FUNDAECO has been dedicated to providing integrated management, taking into account the needs of the neighbors and environmental issues, classifying the reserve into areas. This area has a mixed forest (Quercus sp and Pinus Oocarpa), which is natural to the metropolitan area (FUNDAECO, n.d.).

How did the government support the instrument?:

FUNDAECO has closely cooperated with the municipal government from the inception phase onwards to ensure that the project was able to be integrated in relevant public policy. Since the start of the project in 1995, municipalities have enacted zoning plans and new parks have been created.

Financing

Sources of funding:

Private Foundation

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

No publicly available details regarding financing were able to be found.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

The number of citizens reached and the number of species protected through the establishment of the project has been monitored.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Through the project, FUNDAECO was able to identify green corridors throughout the city area. The identification of these green corridors provided a solid basis for coordinated efforts to enhance ecological connectivity in the city area. The protection of the ravines through Municipal Ordinances and the establishment of Natural Reserves has been contributing to increasing the quality of life in Guatemala City, providing opportunities for recreation and direct contact with nature; social, cultural and educational programs. So far, more than 400,000 citizens could be reached through guided ecological tours and campaigns. In addition, the project helped to create jobs and business opportunities for small family businesses in peri-urban neighborhoods; enhanced productive social reintegration opportunities for at-risk youth and increased public safety for structurally-disadvantaged neighborhoods. Ecologically, a variety of species could be protected, including 399 species of birds and 138 species of mammals. Overall, the project has also been successful in encouraging institutions and companies to create public spaces, such as ecological parks that allow the recreation of the citizens and the conservation of the areas that are destined to this project, reason for which to date there are more than 200 parks and squares. Through the promotion of municipal land management plans, protected area master plans, and the creation, restoration and protection of nine ecological parks and nature reserves, the project has directly contributed to the conservation of around 16,500 ha of forested ravines in the metropolitan region, together forming a green network of protected spaces.

Success factors and lessons learned:

As Guatemala City is faced with urban sprawl, large inequalities and a risk of landslides, the project provides a good practice example of tackling these challenges through focusing on nature-based solutions that deliver different ecosystem services. In addition, the process shows how non-governmental actors, such as Foundations, can successfully set up restoration projects that are integrated within the wider urban policy landscape and can be linked with municipal planning processes.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Wikiguate (2015): Cinturón Ecológico Metropolitano. Available at: https://wikiguate.com.gt/cinturon-ecologico-metropolitano/ (Accessed: 31 January 2023).

Munisalud (2017): Cinturón ecológico metropolitano. Available at: http://munisalud.muniguate.com/2017/08ago/pluma01.php (Accessed: 31 January 2023).

Guatemala.com (2021): ¿Qué es el Cinturón Ecológico Metropolitano de Guatemala? Available at: https://aprende.guatemala.com/cultura-guatemalteca/flora-fauna/que-es-el-cinturon-ecologico-metropolitano-de-guatemala/ (Accessed: 31 January 2023).

PANORAMA (2020): The Metropolitan Green Belt of Guatemala City: A green and blue network of protected nature for biodiversity and urban resilience. Available at: https://panorama.solutions/en/solution/metropolitan-green-belt-guatemala-city-green-and-blue-network-protected-nature-biodiversity (Accessed: 31 January 2023).

Photos

@Sara_i Eu en Unsplash