Cartagena

Success Story

This project represents an integral intervention to recover Juan Angola’s ecosystem including mangrove forest, dredging of the natural channel, and the delimitation of buffer zones with urban infrastructure that will create public recreation spaces.

The recovery of the Juan Angola Channel is an example of a Natural-based Solution (NbS) because it aims to:

1. Recover and conserve the natural ecosystem of the Juan Angola Channel, guaranteeing the restoration and care of mangrove ecosystems, which capture CO2 and serve as carbon sinks.
2. Recover the hydraulic capacity of natural areas to provide a natural buffer against floods caused by heavy rain and water run-off and reduce the risk of disasters in the surrounding areas.
3. Allow its navigability as a means of water transportation using electrically-propulsed boats, helping promote more efficient and low-emission alternative methods of transportation.
4. Giving the city back a natural space that generates living labs for environmental and climate education, as well as areas for contemplation and recreation.

Results

• Definition of the actions to be undertaken and elaborations of estimated budget for the six proposed intervention zones, which have the endorsement of the communities living in the area.

Rendering of interventions on the banks of the Juan Angola Channels

Proposed intervention areas along of the Jun Angola Channel

Conceptual design for the Juan Angola Channel

Visual of the Channel

A proposal to strengthen the urban forestry of the city by generating information to be used as a baseline to plant species of our environment in certain city sites where they are most needed, together with their care and maintenance for two years. These processes are carried out transversally with environmental education and capacity building in communities.

The project contemplates the planting of 100,000 trees including, (1) the characterization (diagnosis) and prioritization of three environmental corridors, (2) the creation of two nurseries to supply at least 50% of the demand, with its operational plan that includes propagation, irrigation, fertilization, growth supervision and phytosanitary control, (3) the care and maintenance of trees planted for at least 24 months, and (4) capacity building within the communities through 30 workshops in the three localities of Cartagena with a direct impact on 750 people, along with the generation of at least 671 direct green jobs in the city, which will allow knowledge spillovers to other population groups (estimated at 2,552 people). These actions will be complemented with a communications strategy that is expected to reach at least 30% of population in Cartagena.

Results

• Planting of 10,300 trees of the Tropical Dry Forest in Cartagena city.

Planting of tropical dry forest tree species in La Popa Hill, Cartagena

Planting of tropical dry forest tree species in La Popa Hill, Cartagena

Community-based restoration of the urban mangrove ecosystem to reduce climate risk in La Virgen saltwater lagoon, Cartagena

Implement conservation and restoration processes of degraded mangrove areas with the purpose of reducing the risk due to climate change, increasing the coverage and natural regeneration processes through the participation of key actors in Ciénaga de la Virgen, specifically in the Nuevo Paraíso neighborhood targeting the Isla de Belén and Bendición de Dios sectors.

Results

• 1200 square miles of public areas recovered with cleansing of coastal areas with mangrove population, as well as channels draining to the saltwater lagoon (25 cubic meters of waste disposed).
• 1620 square miles of marsh areas recovered.
• 1250 red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) seedlings in recovered areas.
• Collection of 4000 red mangrove seeds for the establishment of community nurseries.
• Generation of mangrove ecosystem maps and development of ArcGIS web map tool, where the collected information is recorded and geo-referenced in real time, and the activities related to the project are visualized.
• Socioeconomic characterization of 339 houses located in the Olaya Herrera neighborhood in the El Progreso sector.
• 9 training sessions on mangroves and its benefits, the importance of their care and preservation, and 1 virtual workshop on the importance of the mangrove community leaders.
• 3 practical workshops on planting techniques for young participants in the Community Monitoring project.

Planting of mangrove seedlings in La Virgen saltwater lagoon, Cartagena

Planting of mangrove seedlings in La Virgen saltwater lagoon, Cartagena

City image by Leandro Loureiro / Unsplash