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Demonstrating the Value of Natural Capital in the Gulf of Morrosquillo

PACTO GOLFO MORROSQUILLO.jpg

By collaborating with the Departmento Nacional de Planeación (National Planning Department of the Colombian government), my team in the Natural Capital Project has been mapping strategic ecosystems to inform the implementation of the territorial pact of the Golfo de Morrosquillo.

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I was the main liaison between the Colombian government and the Stanford scientists. In this project, our team identified where natural habitats, such as mangroves and forests provide the most benefits to people in the gulf, such as freshwater, blue carbon storage, and coastal protection.

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I co-wrote a report and a policy brief with the results of the work. Together with the Departamento Nacional de Pleaneación, we are ensuring that the municipalities in the gulf establish Payments for Ecosystem Services to halt deforestation in and around the Paramillo National Park, and provide mechanisms to protect the mangroves in the gulf. 

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Our deliverables so far include:

  • Technical report with the results of the natural capital assessment in the gulf of Morrosquillo

  • Policy briefs in Spanish and English conveying the main results and its relevance to policy

  • Presentations done to the governors and mayors of all 8 municipalities in the Gulf to convey the importance of natural capital in ecosystem service provisioning

  • A national training on Gross Ecosystem Product with Colombian leaders from the planning department , the national department of statistics (DANE), the scientific institution in Colombia (Instituto Alexander von Humboldt), and academic partners (Universidad Nacional de Colombia).

  • A story in the Washington Post mentioning the work in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, and in collaboration with a Colombian photographer (Fernanda Pineda)

  • A story in Forbes Science explaining the challenge Colombia's coasts are facing and how scientists are working with policymakers to help them develop sustainably

Pictures by Fernanda Pineda for The Washington Post- Screenshot of the original article po
Image by Guillermo Bresciano
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