Citizen conservation & monitoring of urban forests in Cartagena de Indias

The rapid development of Cartagena de las Indias, one of Colombia?s prime cultural and tourism destinations, has negatively impacted important local ecosystems.

Meanwhile, its benefits have not reached all of its residents equally, with almost half still living below the poverty line. The IAF supports community-led approaches to managing natural resources and local development planning.

IAF grantee Asociacin de Lderes y Lideresas Sociales de Cartagena (Redecom-Cartagena), an Afro-Colombian organization, is advancing the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of vital ecosystems in Cartagena, the Juan Angola canal and the tropical dry forest of the Cerro de La Popa hill?through citizen oversight of municipal environmental policies and practices, participation in spaces for environmental governance, communications, and network building.