Policy & Science Workshop: Who defines the problem ? An example from Colombia

1. Policy & Science Workshop: Who defines the problem? An example from Colombia Luis Francisco Madriñán, PhD Universidad del Rosario Conservation and ecosystemservicescoordinator GEF-Oil Palm project Colombia lfmadrinan@gmail.com

2. COLOMBIA

3. A Little bit about Colombia • Population: 47.7 million • Area: 1´141.748 km2 (or 2 times thesize of France) • PIB per capita has grownfrom USD $ 5.855 in 2000 to USD $11.150 in 2014 • Colombia is one of the world's mega-diverse countries: • 14% of the world's biodiversity. • 54,443 species • 34 ecoregions. • 1885 are birds (94 are threatened) • 479 are mammals (52 threatened) • Agricultural land is 37.3% of total land. • Forested areas make up 53.1%.- • Protected areas make up 20.9% of total land area.

4. Thesefactshavepolicyimplications: • Colombia has someverystronglawsbuttheyhavebeenhard to apply: • Law 2811 of 1974 and decree 1541 of 1978 definedwere to define riverchannelsbasedon “recurranceintervals”. • Theselawswereneverappliedrigourosly, untilthe rain seasoncausedby a twoyear niña event hit the country between 2010 and 2011. • In 2012 thegovernmentcreatedthelaw 1523, to avoidthis to happenagain. • There are notenoughtrainedprofessionals in the country to enforcethis new law.

6. Other cases to discusstoday: • Environmental compensation law (2012) • Not enough personal to enforce • Territorial planning law based on basins, law 1640 of 2012: • Not enough professionals to have the same quality control in the entire country. • Law to define hydraulic permanent channels (1450 of 2011): • Not enough professional to make a standardized methodology.

7. THANK YOU