Last updated: May 2025
The "EnRútate por el Ambiente" initiative is a collaborative strategy implemented in Cartagena through a partnership between Ecopetrol, EPA Cartagena, and the Cartagena Refinery. The initiative aims to promote sustainable community development in neighborhoods adjacent to the refinery by addressing key environmental challenges such as pollution and the degradation of water bodies and green spaces. Its overarching objective is to improve quality of life through the promotion of sustainable practices and environmental stewardship (ref 5). The strategy is structured around three programs. The first component focuses on the management of public spaces for recreation and environmental care. The second, Guardians of the Channels, seeks to empower local residents as promoters of water body conservation within their communities. The third program promotes the engagement of all community members, including schools and educational institutions, through participatory environmental initiatives (ref 1).
planting activities
https://caracol.com.co/2023/12/17/epa-cartagena-y-empresas-recuperaron-zonas-donde-operaban-basureros-satelites-en-ceballos/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Environmental quality
- Waste management
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Improvements to water quality
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Poor water quality
- Other
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, River rehabilitation/ restoration, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs, Strategy, plan or policy development, Implementation of city-wide or neighborhood initiatives focused on biodiverity protection (e.g. bee-friendly initiatives, butterfly protection, "Spring cleaning")
Project objectives
- To restore and manage public spaces that promote recreation and environmental conservation. (ref 1)
- To establish groups known as "Guardianes de los Caños" (Guardians of the Channels), who are responsible for promoting the care and maintenance of local water bodies, such as channels and canals, within their communities. This involves organizing clean-up activities, preventing pollution, and educating the community about the importance of water protection (ref 1)
- To recover and restore degraded areas, such as former dumpsites, by removing waste and reforesting with native trees like mangroves (ref 2).
- To increase environmental awareness among community members, including youth, community leaders, and elderly groups, and to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices in daily life. (ref 1).
- To build local environmental governance capacity by providing training, technical knowledge, and practical tools to community leaders (ref 3).
Implementation activities
- Establishment of 10 groups of "Guardianes de los Caños" (Guardians of the Channels) involving 250 community members who received training and were provided with tools such as gloves, shovels, machetes, rakes, safety equipment, and wheelbarrows, among other items. (ref 1, 5)
- Interventions to clean up and recover public spaces such as parks, green areas, and road separators that were previously used as dumpsites, Planting of 200 trees, including mangroves (ref 2)
- Multiple cleanup drives in collaboration with the local sanitation operator, Veolia, which resulted in the collection of 120 tons of non-recyclable waste from different neighborhoods (ref 1)
- Workshops for students from 9 educational institutions on topics such as climate change adaptation, proper waste disposal, recycling, and the conservation of waterways (ref 5)
- Diploma in Sustainable Environmental Citizen Science, A 120-hour training program for 30 community leaders to equip them with skills to diagnose and address environmental issues (ref 3)
- Involvement of educational institutions in integrating environmental programs, known as Proyectos Ambientales Escolares (PRAE), into their curricula to promote environmental education among students (ref 1)
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Informal settlements or slums
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
EPA Cartagena, Ecopetrol, and the Cartagena Refinery implement the activities of the 'EnRútate por el Ambiente' Strategy. Its operationalization relies on a multi-stakeholder approach engaging municipal actors such as the Public Services Office of the Mayor’s Office, as well as operational partners including the Guardians of the Channels and Canals, Reficar, the Environmental Police, the Environmental Guard, and the Community Action Board of the Ceballos neighborhood. The private sector is also represented through the participation of the company Veolia. Moreover, Ecopetrol, in collaboration with EPA Cartagena and CARDIQUE, conducts complementary environmental education activities (ref 1,2,3,5).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Corporate investment
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Achieved improved waste management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Achieved increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Cartagena Mayor's Office (2023). EnRútate por el ambiente cierra un año de logros para la localidad industrial y de la Bahía de Cartagena. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Caracol Radio (2023). EPA Cartagena y empresas recuperaron zonas donde operaban basureros satélites en Ceballos. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Cartagena Mayor's Office (2024). Se realizó lanzamiento del diplomado en Ciencia Ciudadana Ambiental Sustentable. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Las Noticias Cartagena (2023). Se crea primer grupo de Guardianes de los Caños en barrio Boston de Cartagena. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
5.
724 NOTICIAS (2024). ENRÚTATE | Ecopetrol y comunidad se unen por la recuperación ambiental. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Programa de Gobierno (2024). Programa de gobierno una nueva Cartagena. p. 9 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
7.
EQUIPO TÉCNICO PLAN DE DESARROLLO 2020-2023 (2020). DIAGNOSTICO BASE PARA FORMULAR LINEAS BASES DEL PLAN DE DESARROLLO. p. 14 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Cartagena Como Vamos (2022). Informe de calidad de vida Cartagena. p. 157 Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];
sculpture of a turtle part of the EnRutate strategy
https://724noticias.com.co/2024/06/11/enrutate-ecopetrol-y-comunidad-se-unen-por-la-recuperacion-ambiental/
meeting of Guardian of the Channels
https://lasnoticiascartagena.com.co/se-crea-primer-grupo-de-guardianes-de-los-canos-en-barrio-boston-de-cartagena/
planting activities
https://www.cartagena.gov.co/noticias/enrutate-el-ambiente-cierra-ano-logros-para-localidad-industrial-bahia-cartagena
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.