To prevent collapses, more than 100 hectares of forest will be planted in Bogotá

As part of the International Day of Forests, which will be celebrated next Monday, March 21, the Bogotá Botanical Garden, in collaboration with the District Environment Secretariat, will carry out a symbolic planting of about twenty trees in the Altos de la Estancia Park, located in the town of Ciudad Bolívar, with the in order to begin the formation of an urban forest to prevent landslides and other natural hazards.

As explained by the Botanical Garden, these so-called “climate-resilient forests” will be located on more than 100 hectares of the city, which have historically recorded the largest mass removal events in the capital, such as Ciudad Bolivar, San Cristobal, Usme, Usaquén, Sumapaz, among others.

The species to be planted were selected because they fit both the climate and soil type of those areas of the city. Taking this into account, the entity reported that among the types of trees to be planted are: Cape jasmine, native eucalyptus (pomarroso), luma myrtle, elderberry, cold earth mangrove and the weeping calistemum.

The Botanical Garden and the Ministry of Environment also detailed that, taking into account the research they have carried out, they established that tree species with better root structure will be planted in areas that pose risks of collapse, because “roots help control erosion and stop slopes” of land.”

“It is important to keep in mind that the roots must have a good ability to penetrate the soil, since these soils are anthropogenic, that is, they are heavily intervened with rubble, garbage and lost their original natural characteristics,” said the Botanical Garden.

On the other hand, the entity indicated that, in those areas where there is a risk of flooding, trees with large crowns will be planted, so that “water and ecosystem corridors can be formed in these forests and improve the environmental quality of the sector.”

The Botanical Garden recalled that these “climate-resilient forests” are implemented within the framework of the new POT in Bogotá, where it was determined that urban forests should be developed in 139.38 hectares of the city of parks, schools, residential areas, among others. In total, according to the same entity, during 2022 there will be two urban forests that will begin to be formed in the capital.

The Ministry of Environment, for its part, reported that, together with the Arhuaca indigenous community, they will plant 700,000 native trees in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in order to preserve and restore the arboreal ecosystem of that Colombian region.

The project, called Müse'si, will be carried out under four components, as detailed by the Ministry: knowledge, developing socialization spaces with indigenous communities; restoration, building 445 family nurseries and the Gunmaku Community Nursery; exchange of capacities, training communities in the construction and operation of nurseries, and economic instruments, through the analysis of CO2 capture.

“We are taking all the steps we take with the communities, respecting their traditions and culture. This generates a sense of ownership of the process and improves its chances of long-term sustainability. In addition, this contributes to the economic recovery of the country, taking into account the resources that will reach the communities directly,” said the Minister of Environment, Carlos Eduardo Correa.

At the moment, according to the Ministry of Environment, through similar initiatives, 17,147,822 trees have been planted in Colombia to date.

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