The growing demand for land to be used for multiple human activities, in addition to the already exhaustive usage of soils in some areas of Colombia, are a driving force of change that alters ecosystem services and impacts human well-being. In response to these changes, the scenario planning approach provides a supporting tool for decision-making on land use and spatial planning. It allows stakeholders, not only to understand the impacts of future changes, but to prepare for them.
Conservation Challenges
Current agroindustrial expansion and development in regions that still hold vast areas of natural ecosystems, such as the Orinoquia in Colombia, leads to challenges emerging from the pursuits of better life quality of people and the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services. For this development to be sustainable, we need to understand the effects of land use change on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being.
Conservation Approach
Using methods and tools of information synthesis and spatial modeling, WCS Colombia teamed up with other organizations to understand the effects of land use change on biodiversity and ecosystem services. We will use this knowledge to evaluate future development scenarios of the Orinoquia, which will be identified in collaboration with stakeholders, especially with representatives of the agroindustrial sector.