Our #HowtoLDN Series showcases the efforts of intersectoral country teams to implement their roadmaps on Land Degradation Neutrality. These country teams are supported by GEO-LDN Flagship since our Global Dialogue Forum 2023 in South Africa. This week we spotlight the work of Team Colombia.
Background
In Colombia, an estimated 29.84% of the national territory is affected by land degradation, leaving around 5.79 million people directly exposed. At the same time, approximately 93.71% of the population is vulnerable to drought, underscoring the urgency of advancing Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) measures in the country.
Addressing the Challenges in Tropical Dry Forests
Colombia’s new National Development Plan 2022–2026 places strong emphasis on the link between land use planning and water management. In the southern region, where dry tropical forests span 17 municipalities, this connection is particularly critical. Team Colombia is working to tackle key challenges, including limited coherence between local and national policies, insufficient soil data to develop detailed soil and soil organic carbon (SOC) maps, and gaps in the capacity to model climate change scenarios based on this information.
#HowtoLDN Use Case from Team Colombia
Building on their extensive experience with Google Earth Engine (GEE) maps and Decision Support Systems (DSS), Colombia’s intersectoral team aims to enhance data analysis and strengthen land governance processes in the Alto Patía region across multiple municipalities. By leveraging Earth observation data and geospatial planning, the team is advancing integrated land use planning and developing best-practice guidelines for a zoning plan that supports sustainable land management and land use in the area.
How GEO-LDN supported Team Colombia
With support from the GEO-LDN Flagship, Team Colombia had received national-level training on the Land Degradation Neutrality Decision Support System (LDN DSS) tool, developed in collaboration with WOCAT. The team also contributed new data to update the DSS and use it to inform the development of land-use planning instruments for the Alto Patía area.
This work directly contributes to Colombia’s national LDN targets:
- Conserving at least 22,000 ha of dry forests at the national level by 2030.
- Improving at least 9,000 ha of pasture cover in silvopastoral systems by 2030.
- Integrating criteria and measures for sustainable land use and ecosystem function preservation into at least five land-use planning instruments.
For more information, please see the country’s poster and the presentation from UNCCD COP 16 in Riyadh, held from 2 to 13 December 2024.
Looking for support to drive LDN forward in your country? Contact us at: info@geo-ldn.org
In partnership with:
- Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Colombia.
- Universidad del Cauca, Colombia.
- Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi (IGAC).
- Asociación Supradepartamental de Municipios del Alto Patía (ASOPATIA).
