Last updated: May 2025
The "Parque Espíritu del Manglar" in Cartagena is a multi-zone public space designed to promote recreation, environmental awareness, and cultural identity. The park, which has undergone a significant reconstruction, offers a wide array of recreational equipment and spaces for contemplation in a natural setting. It is divided into six thematic zones: Entrance Zone; Sports Area, Open-Air Theatre, the Tertulia Island, offering scenic views, public restrooms, and statues such as the iconic "Macondo" tree, a tribute donated by Gabriel García Márquez’s family; Children’s Central Zone, featuring a pirate-themed mangrove ship and an Environmental Observation Deck. (ref 1). With the reopening of the park, EPA Cartagena introduced an ecological trail on Tertulia Island, where a mangrove restoration process has been carried out, focusing on plant health and climate resilience. This area also hosts wildlife such as macaws, sloths, turtles, raccoons, and green herons—species that cannot be reintroduced into their natural habitats. (ref 2) The park now serves as an active site for environmental education, particularly for children, with programs addressing solid waste separation, climate change, and the protection of natural resources. Its reopening has also been recognized as a key step in strengthening family-oriented tourism and promoting sustainable urban development in Cartagena. (ref 2)
people visiting the park
EPA Cartagena, https://epacartagena.gov.co/web/epa-cartagena-pone-en-funcionamiento-centro-experimental-ambiental-en-parque-espiritu-del-manglar/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Coastal wetland, mangroves and salt marshes
- Mangroves
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Deforestation and forest degradation
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Urban reforestation, restoration of street trees, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Restoration of mangroves
Project objectives
- Ecological Restoration and Conservation: Continue restoring the mangrove ecosystem, ensuring the well-being and climate adaptation of plant species (ref 2).
- Wildlife Rehabilitation and Protection: Provide safe habitats for wildlife species that cannot be released back into their natural environments. (ref 2).
- Environmental Education for Youth: Implement programs to educate children on topics like climate change, and natural resource protection. (ref 2).
- Culture: Spirit of the Mangrove Park to become an epicentre of culture, recreation, sports, and gastronomy. And establish Parque Espíritu del Manglar as a gathering place for visitors and tourists to experience Cartagena's history (ref 2). (ref 2).
- Recreation: Offer a recreation space to the community and create a space where children and parents can connect with nature (ref 2).
- Education: Raise awareness using sustainable tourism (ref 2).
Implementation activities
- Create and maintain the ecological trail, ensuring the health of mangroves and other plant species. Set up proper pathways, signage, and lighting for safety and accessibility. (ref 2).
- Complete the construction of new facilities such as playgrounds, football fields, piers, and a nature conservation island (ref 2)
- Implement the “Actívate en el Manglar” strategy with fitness stations and guided nature walks (ref 2)
- Launch environmental education programs for children focusing on topics such as waste separation, climate change, and natural resource protection (ref 2).
- Coordinate with the Instituto de Patrimonio y Cultura de Cartagena (IPCC) to schedule regular weekend cultural activities such as music, theatre, and dance performances (ref 2)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: Women
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The recovery of Parque Espíritu del Manglar was led by the Mayor's Office of Cartagena. It involved various city departments. The General Secretariat, through its Administrative Support Logistics Directorate, the Mayor's Crew, and the Public Services area, The Public Space and Mobility Management, the District Institute of Sports and Recreation (IDER), EPA Cartagena, the School of Government and Leadership, the Secretariat of Social Development through its Women's Office, the Secretariat of Tourism, the Secretariat of Finance, PES Pedro Romero, the Office of Disaster Risk Management (OAGRD), animal services (UMATA) and the company Esenttia (ref 2).
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
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
- Increased presence and recovery of wild species
- Achieved increased presence and recovery of wild species
Economic impacts
- More sustainable tourism
- Expected more sustainable tourism
- Generation of income from NBS
- Expected generation of income from NBS
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Donde Cartagena by El Universal (n.d.). Parque Espíritu del Manglar. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Cartagena Mayor's Office (2024). Lleno absoluto en reapertura del renovado Parque Espíritu del Manglar: más de 9.000 personas asistieron este viernes. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];
3.
colombiatrip (2024). Parque Espiritu del Manglar. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Caracol Radio (2024). Reapertura del Parque Espíritu del Manglar en Cartagena será el próximo 26 de julio. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];
5.
EPA Cartagena (2024). EPA CARTAGENA PONE EN FUNCIONAMIENTO CENTRO EXPERIMENTAL AMBIENTAL EN PARQUE ESPÍRITU DEL MANGLAR.. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Gobernacion de Bolivar (2021). Parque Espíritu del Manglar abre sus puertas a Cartagena y al mundo. Accessed on August 16, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Las 2 Orillas (2021). Chambacú: un corral de negros en Cartagena. Accessed on September 4, 2024, [Source link];
people visiting the park
EPA Cartagena, https://epacartagena.gov.co/web/epa-cartagena-pone-en-funcionamiento-centro-experimental-ambiental-en-parque-espiritu-del-manglar/
people walking in the park
https://noticiasvital.com/2021/06/01/parque-espiritu-del-manglar-seguira-al-servicio-de-la-comunidad-gobernacion-y-alcaldia/
entrance of the park
https://vanguardiaeluniversal-eluniversal-staging.web.arc-cdn.net/cartagena/2024/08/28/cartagena-se-reconstruye-para-convertirse-en-la-ciudad-que-sonamos/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.