San Juan de Pasto, July 12, 2019 – The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the National Department of Planning and the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Department of Nariño, with the support of the Global Green Growth Institute and Natural Heritage, carried out an institutional strengthening session for the planning and implementation of schemes for Payments for Environmental Services -PES-, with the aim of socializing the existing regulations on PES issues and supporting the design and implementation of the initiatives in the Department.
Representatives from the National Government provided important background information, outlining the legal context (Decree Law 870 of 2017 and Decree 1007 of 2018), the public policy guidelines for PES (CONPES 3886 2017), and the strategies in place for sustainable regional development of the Colombian Massif (CONPES 3915 2018 SIPAR). This served the critical function of assisting attendees to better understand the regulatory framework under which they operate. After the background information was detailed, Corponariño, Empopasto, and National Natural Parks -PNN- presented their advances in the area and their proposals for future PES schemes. Throughout the event, it became abundantly clear that PES holds significant potential to strengthen environmental management and conservation efforts in the region.
The event included representatives from key organizations in the field such as Corponariño, National Parks, Water Departmental Plan, Agrosavia, Ministry of Agriculture, Gaica Association, and the City Hall of Pasto, among others. The participating organizations increased their own understanding of the subject matter while offering insightful questions and presenting their feedback on the processes involved in the Department of Narinño’s planning phase.
The Secretary of Environment of the Department of Nariño, Óscar Álvarez, stressed the importance of these efforts for the Department, saying: “These incentives are a priority in our Department’s effort to preserve natural capital being carried out with various institutions. We hope to create a sustainable intervention which can serve as a pilot, allowing us to better realize the benefits of these types of instruments for the Nariñenses and our ecosystems”.
Ultimately, the workshop provided essential information and feedback for the processes of various actors throughout the department The unification of these efforts will contribute to the achievement of the objectives surrounding conservation and sustainable use of the Colombian Massif outlined in CONPES 3915, and the goals surrounding deforestation found in the National Development Plan -NDP- 2018-2022.