Agenda 21; a form of joint environmental management in Manizales ...

9Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 10, No. 2, October 1998

LOCAL AGENDA 21, MANIZALES

Agenda 21; a form of jointenvironmentalmanagement inManizales, Colombia

Luz Stella Velásquez B.

SUMMARY: This paper describes the development of Bioplan-Manizales, a local environmental action plan (LEAP) for the cityof Manizales, and the different groups that contributed to its de-velopment; also, how this plan became integrated into the mu-nicipal development plan and the municipal budget. The meas-ures taken to monitor and evaluate the social, economic and en-vironmental effects of the environmental policy are also describedand these include a series of urban environmental observato-ries. The paper also describes the broader national and interna-tional context for the innovations in Manizales – including thepolitical, legislative and fiscal changes in Colombia that haveencouraged local authorities to develop local environmental agen-das. Manizales’ own historical development is described includ-ing the environmental changes that this development brought andthe environmental problems that it precipitated.

I. INTRODUCTION

COLOMBIA, A TROPICAL country rich in ecological and cul-tural diversity and facing multiple political and social conflicts,today faces the challenge of strengthening local environmentalmanagement in 1,134 municipalities, home to some 38 millionpeople. In Colombia, following the UN Earth Summit in Rio in1992, all the legal instruments needed to facilitate broad com-munity participation in environmental decisions have been putin place. But the capacity for popular management that envi-ronmental decisions require has yet to be achieved. Responsi-bility for the environmental management of regions, municipali-ties and cities cannot rest solely with the state.

In Manizales, a plan for local environmental action (Bioplan),an interesting scheme of joint environmental management, isdeveloping, linked to the principles of Agenda 21. A continuingcommitment by local government and the state university toenvironmental research and to the sustainable development ofthe municipality and the region has succeeded in consolidatinga programme of continuous environmental action which is ad-dressing the social, economic and environmental problems of

Ms. Velásquez is associate Pro-fessor and researcher at theInstitute of EnvironmentalStudies (IDEA), National Uni-versity of Colombia, Manizales.She has also been closelyinvolved in developing theAgenda 21 in Manizales. Thispaper is drawn from a longerreport prepared as part of aresearch programme coordi-nated by the International Insti-tute for Environment and De-velopment, supported by theSwedish International Devel-opment Cooperation Agency(Sida).

Address: Faculdad de Archi-tectura, IDEA: UniversidadNacional Manizales, El Cable,Manizales, Colombia; e-mail:[email protected]

10 Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 10, No. 2, October 1998


this geographically complex area.As a result of continuous leadership by the universities and

the NGOs, and the ownership and commitment of the commu-nities, the environmental policy is underpinned by a continu-ous investigation into the area’s environmental problems andpotential and broad popular participation. The public sector,the private sector and the communities have all come togetherin this constantly growing participative process. As a result,Bioplan’s various programmes and projects are being imple-mented and Manizales has succeeded in improving the qualityof life of its residents and in increasing the capacity for environ-mental management of the poorest communities.

II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY AND THESHAPING OF ITS ENVIRONMENT

THE MUNICIPALITY OF Manizales lies in the tropical zone, tothe west of the Andes, Colombia’s central mountain range. Itsphysical geography, soil characteristics, rainfall and water re-sources are determined by the influence of the Cumanday mas-sif. Among the active volcanoes of this massif, at a height of5,400 metres above sea level, is the snow-capped volcano of theRuiz, whose eruption (and resulting thawing of snow) in 1985led to avalanches of stones and mud which destroyed the townof Armero and other small riverside communities where over35,000 people lived. In Manizales and the surrounding area,this event generated a “culture of disaster prevention” which isnow an integral part of the research and environmental plan-ning programmes of the region.

By virtue of Manizales’ geographical location, with markedvariations in altitude, the territory of the municipality is char-acterized by great climatic and ecological diversity:

� moist tropical forest at 880 metres above sea level, with anaverage temperature of 30oC, occupying 19 per cent of themunicipality’s territory;

� very moist forest in the foothills at 1,500 metres above sealevel, with an average temperature of 23oC, occupying 62 percent of the municipality’s territory;

� very moist forest in the mountains at 2,100 metres above sealevel, with an average temperature of 18oC occupying 12 percent of the municipality’s territory; and

� very moist forest in the mountains at 3,800 metres above sealevel, with an average temperature of 4oC, occupying 6 percent of the municipality’s territory.

At present, rural areas account for 397.1 square kilometresof the municipality’s territory; in 1997, they had a population of57,057 inhabitants concentrated in seven administrative enti-ties known as corregimientos. The urban area covers 42.9 squarekilometres, with a population in 1997 of 358,194 inhabitantsconcentrated in 11 administrative entities called comunas. Theurban area of Manizales lies in the very moist forest of the moun-



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tains and its topography of steep slopes, its high rainfall (2,200mm per annum) and its 78 per cent humidity restrict urbanexpansion onto the hillsides. It could be said that Manizales hasalready surpassed the natural limits to its expansion and mustseek alternative ways of managing growth – for instance, throughincreasing density in selected areas and through re-using ex-isting buildings and lots. For this reason, proposals to defineand allocate land use will be developed, linked to the restric-tions of the hillsides.

According to data in the municipal environmental profile, theenvironmental problems of Manizales can be summarized asfollows:

� inappropriate transformations in its ecosystems, includingfelling of trees to make way for permanent and temporarycrops, the impact of agricultural expansion on the buffer zoneof the snow-capped volcano of Ruiz and the transformation ofgreen protection zones by urban expansion;

� pollution of rivers and water catchment areas by industrial,agricultural, mining and domestic pollutants; and

� high seismic and geological risks as a result of the steep slopesand high levels of soil humidity.

Impacts within the urban area arise from:

� a transport and road infrastructure system inappropriate tothe city’s topography;

� dwellings located in high risk areas due to the increase inurban poverty;

� industrial contamination of the city’s rivers;� degradation of the landscape including a loss of urban and

architectural heritage;� shortage of green spaces and public recreation areas; and� problems arising from a lack of education and training in

participative environmental management.

Manizales’ environmental potential lies in the biodiversity ofits ecosystem, the variety of climates within the municipality’sterritory, the quality and quantity of water in its catchment ar-eas, the hydro-electric and geothermal potential of its water re-sources, the agricultural quality of its soil and in the scenicquality of the landscape. Also central to its potential are thecredibility of its institutions (including local government), theefficient size of the city’s urban area, the many community en-vironmental action groups, and the NGOs and universities.

Manizales municipality has always had a moderate rate ofpopulation growth; in 1997, it was 2.1 per cent lower than thenational average. Of the economically active population of137,000, 28 per cent work in commerce, 17 per cent in indus-try, 11 per cent in education, 12 per cent in agriculture and 9per cent in construction while a variety of service sector occu-pations account for the remaining 23 per cent. At present, dueto the “cof fee crisis”, local investment has fallen and the currentunemployment rate of 12.4 per cent is four points above the



national average. This is just one of the challenges that Manizaleshas faced in the course of its history and, in considering itssettlement process, one must bear in mind two factors, popu-larly known as “ the culture of coffee” and “the culture of pre-vention”.

The striking geographical location of Manizales’ urban areaamidst steep slopes is the result of the historical dynamic ofsettlement of a country which, as a result of the Spanish con-quest in the sixteenth century, lost almost all of its indigenouspopulation with only a few small local settlements in inaccessi-ble mountain areas remaining. Manizales remained unchangeduntil the end of the nineteenth century when, as a result of thepoverty prevailing in the state of Antioquía in the west of thecountry, a small group of inhabitants migrated in search of goldfor use by craftsmen. They settled in a large part of the territorywhich today makes up the municipalities of Salamina, Neiraand Manizales. This internal migration gave rise to what is knownin Colombia as the “Antioquian settlement” which forms part ofthe identity of the local and regional culture. The new inhabit-ants transformed the ecosystem of the Andean cloud forests,constructing small settlements which served as temporary dwell-ing places, while dedicating themselves to mining and growingfood crops. These settlements were strategically sited in the high-est parts of the mountain range so as to dominate the territoryvisually and allow the defence of the mining activities. This ex-plains how, later, towns became consolidated around roads thatwere relatively inaccessible, in areas with such steep slopes.

However, it was the cultivation of coffee at the beginning ofthe twentieth century that transformed the region socially, eco-nomically and environmentally. The optimal ecological con-ditions for coffee growing provided by the moist forests of themountains, together with the internationalization of the cof feetrade, generated significant economic surpluses. The area allo-cated to cultivating cof fee grew steadily and it now accounts for72 per cent of the municipality’s total agricultural production.The temporary settlements remained and make up what todayis known as the “ cof fee axis” where a network of medium sizedtowns and rural and urban communities are home to a popula-tion of 2.3 million inhabitants in what is considered one of theregions with the highest quality of life in Colombia. The “re-urbanization” of the municipality of Manizales, where country-side and city merge without any well-defined territorial bounda-ries, also derives from the coffee economy and the constructionof a road network and of services for the transport and com-mercialization of the coffee bean. Research on aspects of theeconomic and environmental history of the settling of Manizaleshas been important for the environmental planning of its terri-tory. This history can be summarized into the following periods.

a. The Coffee Boom; the New City Following the Fires

As a result of cof fee exports and its commercialization in in-ternational markets, between 1920 and 1930 Manizales wasColombia’s main supply centre for merchandise coming from



Europe and the United States. It became the country’s secondmost economically and politically important city. In 1927 and1928, two conflagrations destroyed almost the entire city, leav-ing only a few buildings standing on the periphery of the citycentre. The prosperity of the majority of the population enabledwork to go ahead on reconstruction. However, the new citychanged from being a mountain city of the Antioquian settle-ment to being one whose architecture, parks and urban struc-tures were designed by firms from Paris or London who hadwon international competitions. The construction of the newprojects required substantial modification of the topography andthe tropical Andean forest trees were replaced by species broughtfrom Europe while the bamboo framework used in traditionalbuilding was replaced by cement and steel which had to be im-ported from Europe. Subsequently, using technology importedfrom Europe, a system of transport to and from Manizales us-ing aerial cables for carrying cargo and passengers for up to 80kilometres facilitated communication with the Magdalena river,from where cof fee was sent to the embarkation port ofBarranquilla on the Atlantic coast. During this period, Manizalessucceeded in overcoming the physical isolation resulting fromits mountainous topography and rebuilding a new city followingthe fires.

b. The Coffee Crisis and the Celebration of the Centenary

Towards the end of 1930, coffee prices fell on the interna-tional market and the former production boom declined. Com-munications within Colombia had been expanded and modern-ized, and Manizales was no longer the point of confluence ofroads linking what became Colombia’s three largest cities, Cali,Bogotá and Medellín. Manizales was now a terminal city on thecrest of the mountain range and on the margin of the principalroad and rail links. Nonetheless, it retained its political impor-tance and, for this reason, on the occasion of the 1950 cente-nary of its foundation, the government provided significant fund-ing for the construction of new infrastructure in the city. It alsodecided to establish two universities of national rank in Manizalesand the city began to distinguish itself in the educational andcultural fields. From that moment on, the universities playedan important role in the development of the region, includingparticipation in its planning. Today, the city’s eight universitieshave approximately 20,000 students and, together with themunicipality, are managing the consolidation of Manizales as auniversity city.

c. The Second Coffee Boom and its Environmental Impact

In 1975, coffee prices went up on the international market,generating significant economic surpluses for the city and theregion which lasted for five years. Coffee’s high profitability ledto increased cultivation of a new variety (Caturro coffee) whichneeds more sun for increased production. This led to seriousdamage to the moist mountain forest ecosystem as a result of



deforestation of large areas of secondary woodland which hadprovided shade for the existing variety (Arabic coffee). Thus be-gan a rapid exhaustion of the soils and a decline in the produc-tive diversity associated with other food crops and fruit trees. Inaddition, large areas of woodland with great biodiversity werelost. The increase in coffee production also raised the demandfor water for growing and washing the beans to the point wheredemand exceeded possible supply from the region’s catchmentareas. For this reason, in 1979, the national cof fee growers’ fed-eration began a programme of rural environmental education,environmental action, reforestation and research on clean, ap-propriate technologies for cof fee production which would mini-mize the impact on the ecosystem and take account of inte-grated resource management. This programme had a positiveoutcome for the region and the country, and achieved its objec-tives.

However, the boom also had negative environmental effectson Manizales’ urban area due to the rise in investment in con-struction. At the time, Miami, not London, was more influential,along with a drive to “modernize the city”. This led to the de-struction of much of the urban and architectural heritage whichhad been completed for the centenary in 1950. The city beganto transform its roads, which had to fit into the steep slopes,and construct high speed avenues and increase the density ofthe central areas. The architecture also became more homog-enous. In this period of what was called “urban renovation”, theexpansion of the urban area coincided with the gradual deterio-ration of the natural and constructed landscape. In many cases,this surpassed the capacity of the surrounding environment andoverstepped natural limits during “adaptation” of the hillsidesfor the large-scale erection of housing and urban structures.The technological and architectural solutions used within townplanning were not the most appropriate ones, and the quality ofthe landscape and of Manizales’ public and historic places suf-fered.

Manizales’ history is full of events that illustrate the topographi-cal conditions adverse to the city’s urban construction: the con-struction of building lots by “terracing”; the diversion of rivercourses; and deforestation for the construction of buildings androads. When, in 1979, a major earthquake destroyed a largeproportion of the “modern structures” and the new “ infrastruc-ture works” , intensive work was begun to investigate the linksbetween seismic and geological risks and construction charac-teristics. At the time, the municipality developed a new buildingcode which related the appropriateness of the terrain to thepossibilities of earthquake resistant constructions, and a projecton seismic micro-zoning was initiated to generate knowledge ofthe carrying-capacity of the city’s dif ferent areas.

d. The Eruption of the Ruiz Volcano: Environmental Crisisand Economic Recovery

In November 1985, the volcano Arenas del Nevado del Ruizerupted. One of the social consequences of this was that part of



Manizales’ population moved to other cities because of the riskof a fresh eruption affecting Manizales and the surrounding re-gion. Meanwhile, all new investment in the city came to a halt.This had drastic repercussions on the local economy and thenational government declared an economic emergency inManizales and the region affected by the eruption. The economicemergency decrees sought to stimulate investment by allowingthe tax-free import of machinery and products associated withindustrial production and by supporting employment genera-tion. During the three years for which these provisions werevalid, a total of 76 national and international businesses wereset up in Manizales’ industrial zone, of which 42 remain active.Although this was important for restarting Manizales’ economy,it also brought negative environmental impacts in the form ofincreased environmental pollution in the Chinchiná river andthe Manizales stream. In addition, the increased demand forwater outstripped the installed capacity of the industrial zone’saqueduct. At present, work is being done under a business co-operation agreement, together with the National Industrialists’Association and the environmental authorities, to reduce theenvironmental impact by improving the technology.

e. The Present Coffee Crisis and Regional Integration forSustainable Development

From 1994 to the present, Manizales and its surrounding re-gion have been undergoing one of the greatest cof fee crises. Theinternational pricing agreement between producer and consumercountries was ended and the way opened for the free market. Aconsequence of this has been a fall in coffee prices because ofexcess supply at the international level. The economic impactboth on the region and on the country is significant. The signsof poverty in the cities and countryside of the “coffee axis” areobvious. In Manizales, because of its dependence on cof fee-grow-ing, the result has been a major fall in people’s quality of life.Much of the city’s commerce is linked to investments which weremade possible by the profits and surpluses arising from thecommercialization and sale of coffee. The proportion of Manizales’population that is below the poverty line has risen from 18 percent in 1994 to 27 per cent in 1998. Since this phenomenonaffects not only Manizales but the whole region, it is interestingto note that those in power have joined together to implement aregional agenda of sustainable development. Today, programmesand projects aiming at economic recovery, the construction ofmacro-projects of regional urban infrastructure, and the envi-ronmental recovery and territorial definition of the Cumandaymassif bio-region are being supported at international level.

f. Municipal Environmental Autonomy and EnvironmentalTerritorial Conflicts

Municipal autonomy has been important for Manizales andthe outcome of the process of decentralization which has beentaking place in Colombia since the mid-1980s has been very



positive in making possible the integration of municipalities indecisions on economic and political issues and on regional andmetropolitan action. But this autonomy has been less positivefor the environment and, today, there are frequent conflicts be-tween neighbouring municipalities, departments and regionsthroughout the national territory on issues of environmentaladministration. In Colombia, environmental regions do not co-incide with politico-administrative regions. This is why it is sodifficult for the environmental authorities to work within theterritory’s politico-administrative jurisdiction. Decentralizationand local autonomy for environmental management give rise toproblems because of the existence of economic and political in-terests at odds with the principles of environmental planning.In addition, environmental management has barely started toconsolidate processes of community participation and environ-mental education. The municipalities are still not ready to ad-minister their environmental territory sustainably.

In 1997, conflicts along these lines between Manizales andVillamaría, its neighbouring municipality, became sharper as aresult of the application of measures to restrict land use withrespect to shared areas and resources, both natural and ur-ban. However, through the implementation of Villamaría’s localenvironmental action plan (LEAP) linked to the goals of the Lo-cal Agenda 21 and developed by the urban environmental studygroups of both municipalities, the National University of Colom-bia’s Institute of Environmental Studies (IDEA) and the Minis-try of the Environment, cooperation around joint environmentalactions to manage water, tourism, transport and recreation wasachieved. Similarly, projects were formed for municipal envi-ronmental integration and the establishment of an inter-mu-nicipal environmental committee to work towards solving “envi-ronmental conflicts”.

III. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN COLOMBIA ANDIN MANIZALES

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN Colombia has important ante-cedents with regard to popular participation and inter-institu-tional commitment to environmental management. The NationalInstitute for Natural Resources (INDERENA) was founded in 1974and initiated a diagnosis of the country’s environmental situa-tion which alerted the national government to problems whichcontinue to receive priority on its environmental policy agenda.The regions’ and municipalities’ responsibility with respect tothese problems was assessed and the Green Municipalities ofColombia programme was established to address them. Thiswas an important milestone and support was given to the greencouncils, and broad popular participation in environmentalmanagement was generated. Subsequently, with the commit-ment to seek a sustainable form of national development, thedevelopment of environmental policy has been closely linked tothe 1991 constitution and the 1992 UN Earth Summit whose



outputs included support for Local Agenda 21. Below, is a sum-mary of some of the key components of Colombia’s environmen-tal management.

a. The Environmental Profile of Colombia (1990)

Colombia’s environmental profile described the country’s en-vironmental situation and problems including those arising fromunequal socio-economic development, the use of inappropriatetechnologies, the growing urbanization resulting from unem-ployment and violence in the countryside, natural processesthat were transforming ecosystems such as earthquakes, vol-canic eruptions and floods, and atmospheric changes. The pro-file also pointed to the dif ficulties for environmental manage-ment arising from a centralized administration in a country withsuch a complex and varied geography and with such a highpercentage of autonomous municipalities and urban centres.For this reason, it put forward proposals of an institutional na-ture for participative environmental management and for con-solidating a national system of environmental management. Italso provided the basis for producing regional environmentalprofiles and urban environmental profiles.

b. The New Political Constitution of Colombia (1991)

The new constitution established the ecological function ofproperty and indicated the environmental rights and duties fall-ing to the state and to its citizens. It also decreed that the for-mulation of environmental policies was part of the national de-velopment plan and that sustainable development was a po-litical goal for the country.

c. Creation of the Ministry of the Environment (1993)

In accordance with the constitutional mandate and followingColombia’s participation in the UN Earth Summit in 1992, theconditions were in place for drawing up Law 99 of 1993 (theenvironmental law) and the Ministry of the Environment andthe National Environmental System (SINA) were created. Thus,principles were established for an environmental policy with theinstitutional, technical and financial legislative bases to sup-port local, regional and national environmental management.

d. The Urban Environmental Profile of Colombia and theManizales Case Study (1993)

Colombia’s environmental profile recommended the produc-tion of urban environmental profiles, emphasizing that 75 percent of all Colombians live in urban areas and that the mainenvironmental problems are concentrated there – due to pollu-tion, lack of basic services and inadequate housing (in turn linkedto unemployment and poverty). In Manizales, with national andlocal support and with the participation of universities, localgovernment and the environmental authority, a municipal en-



vironmental profile was produced which served as a pilot re-search project for other cities in the country and as a basis forenvironmental planning for the municipality of Manizales andits region.

e. Bogotá’s Local Environmental Agendas (1993)

The Institute of Environmental Studies (IDEA) and the Ad-ministrative Department of the Environment developed environ-mental agendas for Bogotá directly related to the Local Agenda21. This was the first experience of its kind in the country andsucceeded in consolidating a management process for environ-mental problems and possible solutions in Bogotá’s various ar-eas. These agendas have become an important instrument oflocal planning. They have also served as a methodological basisfor developing environmental agendas in the rest of the coun-try, including Manizales.

f. The Environmental Policy of the National DevelopmentPlan (1994-1998) – the “Social Leap”

The environmental policy of the National Development Plan(1994-1998) – entitled the “Social Leap” (Salto social) – engen-dered the organization of the National Environmental System(SINA) and set it in motion. It also ensured the inclusion of theenvironment as a factor of development in the policies and pro-grammes to be promoted by the state. Priorities were definedfor a national environmental agenda to halt the accelerated en-vironmental decline and the loss of the country’s natural re-sources. The agenda’s priority themes included:

� reducing the rates of extraction of natural resources;� implementing mechanisms to reduce the environmental im-

pact of industry;� improving the quality of life in cities and towns;� reducing poverty in urban and rural areas;� preventing disasters caused by the inappropriate manage-

ment of natural resources;� reducing wasteful consumption patterns;� increasing research on renewable natural resources;� implementing environmental information and monitoring sys-

tems; and� training public officials to improve environmental adminis-

tration.

g. Colombia’s Urban Environmental Policy (1995-1996)

The Colombian government’s commitment to improving ur-ban environmental quality finds clear expression in the envi-ronmental policy principles of the national development plan:better cities and towns. These principles provided a basis onwhich the Ministry of the Environment and IDEA could designthe urban environmental policy which is being driven by theSINA in the country’s 1,134 municipalities. Local Agenda 21



and its methodological and practical applications to theManizales Bioplan and to the environmental agendas of Bogotáwere very important in defining the policy’s participatory char-acter and in prioritizing action. The priorities of urban environ-mental policy were centred on:

� the promotion of urban environmental research;� better management of energy consumption in the cities;� an increase in public and a reduction in private transport;� waste recycling and improved environmental sanitation;� industrial production with minimal environmental impact and

wastes;� functional and self-managed growth of the cities with improve-

ments in the quality of the surroundings in marginal com-munities, the regeneration of city centres and urban publicspaces, and increased provision for recreation in urban ar-eas; and

� popular environmental education for participation and sup-port for the implementation in all of Colombia’s cities andtowns of the local environmental action plans linked to LocalAgenda 21.

h. The Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAPs) – LocalAgenda 21 (1997-1998)

Colombia’s urban environmental policy proposed developinglocal environmental action plans (LEAPs) as the main means ofimplementing Local Agenda 21. It is hoped that all of Colom-bia’s municipalities will implement the plans, with the aid of amethodological guide to be supplied by SINA. The guide will bedeveloped by the Ministry of the Environment and IDEA, afterevaluating Manizales’ Bioplan and Bogotá’s environmental agen-das and constructing four pilot plans in dif ferent areas of thecountry:

� Villamaría (within the cof fee zone and with its urban areacontiguous to Manizales);

� Buenaventura (port city on the Pacific Ocean);� Yumbo (a major industrial conurbation that is within the Cali

metropolitan area); and� Yopal (a petroleum-producing area).

These towns, each with different environmental problems, areconsidered a priority for the development of LEAPs. These pilotprojects have already had multiplier ef fects. For instance, thegovernment of the department of Caldas (of which Manizales isthe capital) has committed itself to providing financial and tech-nical support to the implementation of LEAPs in the 24 munici-palities under its jurisdiction. The most important aspects ofthis process have been the active participation of citizens andNGOs in the phases of socialization and of commitment to theprogrammes, and the coordinated financial support for its im-plementation from the various governmental and environmen-tal authorities.



IV. AGENDA 21 IN MANIZALES: JOINTENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

THE CONSOLIDATION OF environmental management inManizales is just as recent as in the rest of Colombia. Its devel-opment has been closely linked to national and internationalenvironmental policy. In 1992, as a result of the political deci-sions emerging from the UN Earth Summit, the National Uni-versity persuaded the municipal government to take up thetheme of the environment and integrate it as policy in the mu-nicipal development plan. It took concrete form in 1993 in thefirst municipal environmental agenda. This first, rather gen-eral, agenda was gradually integrated into local management.From this moment, inter-institutional actions were being con-solidated among the universities, local government, the regionalenvironmental authority, NGOs and residents’ associations inorder to develop programmes and projects on environmentaleducation and the recovery of marginal areas.

Today, this shared commitment to the sustainable develop-ment of Manizales is receiving recognition at national level. Simi-larly, the positive results coming from programmes and projectsto resolve the concrete environmental problems of the poorestcommunities make these a model for environmental manage-ment throughout the country. This joint action between themunicipality and the university has gradually strengthened thelink between research and management. A detailed knowledgeof Manizales’ social, economic and environmental reality wasessential to the formulation of the LEAPs linked to Agenda 21.

To better understand how environmental planning developedin Manizales, the next section has a summary of the last threeperiods of government and includes an assessment of the mostimportant factors for developing a form of environmental man-agement that meets the priorities of municipal development.

a. 1990-1992: Social Welfare and Disaster Prevention asthe Environmental Priorities

Although projects were being developed in Manizales for therecovery and improvement of the environment, the hillsidesposed serious problems of degradation and a high risk of land-slides. In these areas, the building of illegal settlements by in-vaders had increased and the number of families belonging tothe marginal sectors had risen considerably. A total of 4,239dwellings, housing 7 per cent of the urban population, werelocated in sub-standard areas as a result of critical overcrowd-ing and a lack of urban infrastructure. The problems had be-come even more severe due to the rising population in risk ar-eas and the increased need for civil works to protect the slopes.For this reason, the central goal of the municipality’s environ-mental planning during this period was to improve the welfareand safety of the poorest population whose dwellings were lo-cated on hillside areas with a high risk of landslides.

Work was done on disaster prevention and disaster readiness,drawing on studies on the municipality’s physical vulnerability.



From this moment on, environmental management emphasizedthe development of integrated programmes and projects on habi-tat. The first environmental agenda was formulated with theaim of improving dwellings and providing security to the inhab-itants while also considering the physical risks of the terrain.These projects were implemented in association with the localuniversity. During this period, 2,320 dwelling units were builtfor people from among the lowest-income groups. At the com-pletion of the government programme, the number of dwellingslocated in high risk zones had been reduced by 63 per cent anda total of 360 hectares had been reforested as protected greenareas.

Box 1: The Eco-parks

The Eco-parks are protected green areas located withinthe municipality’s urban area. Most are owned by themunicipality or have been acquired through donationsfrom individuals. Only buildings for recreation and edu-cation and the infrastructure required for its ecologicalconservation are allowed in the Eco-parks. The Eco-parksset natural limits on the expansion of the built-up areasand prevent construction on areas at high risk from land-slides.

The environmental education programme developed inthe Eco-parks is managed by different institutions includ-ing non-government organizations and the National Uni-versity. For example, in Eco-park Alcazares Arenillo, theuniversity is developing environmental educational pro-grammes. The Recycler’s Association manages this Eco-park through an annual contract with the municipality.

Some examples of the different Eco-parks:

– Eco-park Alcazares Arenillo (78 hectares) has a focuson conserving biodiversity. It is used for scientific re-search linked to environmental education.

– Eco-park Montele-Yarumales (36 hectares) is an eco-logical reservation for scientific and technological inves-tigation and citizen environmental education.

– Eco-park Sancancio is a symbolic hill with the city.The park area includes an archaeological site of regionalimportance.

– Eco-park Rioblanco is a strategic ecosystem providingwater to the municipality.

– Eco-park Bosque Popular (53 hectares) is the most im-portant place for popular recreation and sport.



There were some problems in defining the boundaries of these“protected green areas” and in determining the use of the soil –they were subsequently converted into eco-parks for environ-mental education and research. Eco-parks combine provisionfor recreation, environmental education and conservation whilealso keeping buildings of f sites that are prone to land-slides orhazards – see Box 1. During this period, 168 hectares of pro-tected green areas were incorporated into the municipality, cor-responding to 9 per cent of its total area. In addition, the mu-nicipality established a new city boundary which incorporatedenvironmental conservation as an alternative means of disasterprevention and provided tax incentives for the owners of theseareas. For the owners of dwellings in high risk areas, there wereland-exchange schemes so that they could resettle on safer sites,with the high risk areas recovered for use as forest. Also duringthis period, the Of fice for Preventing and Dealing with Disasterswas created within the municipality and corresponding policywas formulated integrating the themes of the city’s physicalvulnerability and its physical suitability for urban expansion.

During this period, the municipality invested 17 per cent ofits budget in the environment and disaster prevention area. TheNational University supplied 83 per cent of the budget for thejoint extension programme and the regional corporation invested23 per cent of its budget in infrastructure works to reduce therisk of landslides on the hillsides. The municipality also receivedsignificant national contributions towards the implementationof its plan for preventing and dealing with disasters. The af-fected communities were linked to this mix of technical and fi-nancial support and the first local disaster prevention commit-tees were set up.

b. 1993-1995: Priority: Economic Growth withoutEnvironmental Deterioration. Public-private EnvironmentalCooperation

The years 1993-1995 were a significant period in Manizales’economic growth, as reflected in the municipality’s fiscal per-formance and the growth of its revenues in real terms. Currentrevenues increased by some 64 per cent by the end of 1995,with capital investment up by 139 per cent and municipal in-comes up by 56 per cent. At the end of the period, public fi-nances were in surplus. For 1995, investment accounted for59.9 per cent of the municipal budget, while municipal spend-ing on administration fell to 23.5 per cent of the budget.

The process of administrative and fiscal decentralization withinColombia obliged the municipalities to transform public enter-prises into mixed ownership entities which took over the admin-istration of parks and green areas (Regreening Manizales), themanagement of the water supply (Waters of Manizales – PureWater), the management of solid wastes (Green City) and the sani-tation services (Sanitation Enterprise of Manizales). It is impor-tant to emphasize the efficiency of these businesses and the im-portance of the public-private association as well as the partici-pation of community associations as members of the enterprises.



This was an important period in the consolidation of environ-mental management in Manizales because of the municipality’ssupport for the university’s initiative to develop the urban envi-ronmental profile of Manizales as a pilot case in Colombia. Theprofile provided the technical basis for management and it provedpossible to assemble an inter-institutional work team to carryout the research. Programmes and projects of importance tocommunity environmental education were formulated and thefirst community environmental committees were set up. The firstcommunity environmental agenda was developed and environ-mental priorities for Manizales were established.

The first phase of the large-scale transport plan was devel-oped and got underway. This included the renovation of roads,the installation of traffic lights and the development of connec-tions between the city’s main road corridors. There was also aprogramme of environmental education for drivers and pedes-trians which sought to discourage the use of private transport.The use of private vehicles had grown considerably due to lowprices and incentives for the free import of vehicles resultingfrom the opening up of the country’s markets. Other transportalternatives were sought and the first aerial cable project forpublic transport was developed. With the new scope for munici-pal autonomy, the local government approved a tax surchargeon petrol with the proceeds going to the large-scale transportproject.

For the first time, Manizales had a budget explicitly allocatedto environmental policy into which a large part of the munici-pality’s financial surplus was invested. The budget equalled 21per cent of the total municipal investment budget, of which 15per cent went to environmental education programmes, com-munity training and tax incentives for those protecting areas ofecological importance to the city, while the remaining 6 per centwas used to purchase land for use in environmental protectionand conservation. However, unusually heavy rain resulted inlandslides in areas which had not been considered high-riskareas. Two hundred and twenty-six families lost their houses,and lives were lost. As a result, the municipality had to spendmuch of the budget it had set aside for environmental policy ondealing with this emergency, on constructing new infrastruc-ture works and on preparing land on which the displaced popu-lation was to be resettled.

c. 1996-1998: Community Environmental Training andInternational Management of the Bioplan

During this period, significant advances were made in devel-oping participative methodologies for strengthening local enti-ties’ and communities’ capacity to manage environmental is-sues and disaster prevention. The Municipal Training Institute(ICAM) and the Secretariat of Community Development devel-oped programmes and supported the community environmen-tal committees in the implementation of projects. The munici-pality also contracted several community associations to man-age and administer two eco-parks, two community plant nurs-



eries and 15 neighbourhood parks. Community participationwas established in three mixed economy enterprises (with pub-lic and private members), running rubbish dumps, the recy-cling plant and the centre for supplies. The integration of poli-cies for economic growth, social welfare and environmental im-provement, and the design of a system to monitor and evaluatesustainable development in Manizales were significant contri-butions of this period. The first stage of this system will be im-plemented in 1998 and it will put into operation the urbanenvironmental observatories for the 11 comunas and sevencorregimientos of the municipality’s urban and rural area.

Manizales’ participation in the UN Habitat II Conference in1996 with the Bio-Manizales project as an example of success-ful practice was important because its environmental policybecame known nationally and internationally. This led to coop-erative actions to support sustainable development in Manizales.Following Habitat II, the municipal administration and IDEAsigned six cooperation agreements with Latin American andEuropean cities on technical exchanges and support for urbanenvironmental management, community environmental educa-tion, environmental sanitation and environmental monitoring.These agreements have strengthened cooperation between cit-ies and have had a definitive role in providing continuity to theLEAP:Bioplan.

During this period, municipal investment in environmentalwork continued to grow with the municipality allocating 23 percent of its investment budget to environmental policy and dis-aster prevention. Furthermore, international support made pos-sible investments equivalent to 4 per cent of the municipal envi-ronmental budget. The local universities contributed technicaland infrastructure resources equivalent to 60 per cent of thebudget allocated to activities in support of the community, andinternational and national support enabled the NGOs to estab-lish projects equivalent to 6.3 per cent of the municipal envi-ronmental budget. The municipality and IDEA received techni-cal and financial support from the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, the UN Economic Council for LatinAmerica and the Italian, Spanish and Brazilian governments.

During this period, the municipal environmental budget wasincreased through a 1.2 per cent extra charge on urban andrural properties, representing an environmental surcharge.Colombian national law requires municipal governments to in-vest this tax in addressing the main local environmental prob-lems. In Manizales, this tax expanded the municipality’s finan-cial capacity to implement the Bioplan’s programmes andprojects. The extra funds went towards the construction of in-frastructure to protect the hillsides, towards reforestation pro-grammes, the purchase and preparation of geologically high-risk land for conversion into eco-parks, and the programme forpopular environmental education and the creation of a univer-sity of the environment.



V. THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLANFOR MANIZALES

a. The Bioplan

FROM 1994 ONWARDS, the municipal development plan hashad the sustainable development of the municipality and theregion as its fundamental aim. For this reason, the Bio-Manizalesproject was approved as its environmental policy goal in themedium and long term in order to:

� stimulate knowledge of the local and regional ecosystem;� conserve the municipality’s natural and cultural resources;� increase energy efficiency in the running of the city;� improve urban living conditions for the whole population with

attention to environmental sanitation, integrated waste man-agement and recycling, and improved security for citizens inpublic spaces;

� facilitate the application of appropriate technologies in indus-trial production;

� create an efficient supply of public services and transport;and

� provide environmental education for popular participation.

In addition, the projects and infrastructure works that wereneeded to environmentally reclaim, revitalize and reconstructthe municipality were designed: eco-parks, water parks, bio-cycles, urban lifts, urban outlook points, urban washing parks,bio-markets, community plant nurseries, green corridors, bio-communities, the university of the environment and bio-touristroutes. A plan has also been drawn up to develop the historiccable car system that functioned in Manizales until 1958. Theplan is for a network of cable car lines using small wagons eachseating up to 20 persons. The central station of this systemwould be situated close to the viaduct of the Autonomous Uni-versity with four routes covering the most important urban andinter-municipal flows: Manizales-Villamaria, Centre-North, Cen-tre-South and North-West. These dif ferent projects were pre-sented by the municipality to the industrial and constructionguilds as a way of revitalizing the municipality and region’seconomy.

However, in 1996, when the development plan was carriedout and no modifications were made in the commitment to im-plementing the municipal environmental policy, with Bio-Manizales once again remaining a long-term goal, there wereswift reactions from the universities, residents’ associations,ecological groups and environmental NGOs. The environmentalsector’s representative to the territorial planning council pub-licly called a citizens’ forum which, after several days of discus-sion with the municipal council, was able to formalize an agree-ment for the implementation of the LEAP:Bioplan 1997-2000.Thus, the political commitment to improving the environmentalquality of the municipality of Manizales passed from the realmof theory to that of action and the investment budget for envi-



ronmental policy was increased to carry out the programmesand projects.

For this reason, it is very important that the LEAP be con-verted into the principal driving force of the environmental policylinked to Agenda 21. Problems that require priority need to beselected; there is also the need to encourage the institutionsand communities to support the development and implementa-tion of the Bioplan. Following an extensive process of meetingsand coordination led by the Institute of Environmental Educa-tion and the territorial planning council, the following were de-fined as LEAP programmes: bio-tourism, bio-transport, popu-lar environmental education, integrated waste management andthe action plan of Olivares Bio-comuna.(1)

b. Community Environmental Action Plans

As part of the Bioplan, plans were designed for the 11 comunasinto which Manizales is divided. These plans have already beenimplemented and evaluated. Most show shortcomings in termsof commitment to participation on the part of institutions andresidents so that, in future, the communities need to preparebetter for the coordination and decision-making phases. Someenvironmental conflicts also arose which usually revolved aroundproblems of land use, individual economic interests or politicalgroup interests. Recently, this has posed dif ficulties for projectimplementation and has limited the participation of many com-munity leaders.

VI. EVALUATION AND MONITORING OF THEENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

a. The Need for Monitoring and Evaluation

AN EFFECTIVE LOCAL environmental action plan in Manizalesneeds careful and detailed monitoring of conditions and trends.It is also important to monitor programme and project progressand the extent of citizen involvement in all aspects of the plan.The monitoring must also allow a constant evaluation of progressand of dif ficulties in the application of the policies, investments,programmes and projects in accordance with the plan’s declaredobjectives of social equity, economic efficiency, effective researchand protection or restoration of the environment. But it mustalso produce indicators that are useful for, and easily under-stood by, the population.

b. The Environmental Quality Traffic Lights

As will be described in more detail later in this section, a greatrange of data are collected on social conditions, the economyand the environment, and these form the basis for monitoringconditions and trends. Most are available for each of the territo-rial units for the city (the 11 comunas) and for the wider munici-pality (corregimientos) at least annually. Many are available each

1. The October 1999 issue of En-vironment and Urbanization willform the second volume on “Sus-tainable Cities Revisited” and willinclude a paper on the develop-ment of a local environmentalaction plan (LEAP) in Olivares,one of the 11 comunas into whichthe urban area of Manizales isdivided. Olivares is one of thepoorest and most environmen-tally deteriorated areas of the cityand the plan developed thereserves as a model for encourag-ing similar local action plans withstrong commitments to participa-tion and to combining social, eco-nomic and environmental goals.


LOCAL AGENDA 21, MANIZALESTa

ble

1: T

he

Env

iro

nm

enta

l Tra

ffic

Lig

hts

; h

ow

eac

h C

om

un

a sc

ore

d f

or

Co

mp

osi

te I

nd

icat

or

of

Env

iro

nm

enta

l Q

ual

ity

The

diff

eren

t com

unas

into

whi

ch M

aniz

ales

is d

ivid

ed

CO

MP

OS

ITE

IND

ICAT

OR

S

12

3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

11

Soc

ial w

ell-b

eing

(in

clud

ing

indi

cato

rs o

f hea

lth,

educ

atio

n, s

ocia

l sec

urity

and

inco

me)

G

R

Y

Y

R

Y

Y

G

Y

Y

Y

Qua

lity

and

acce

ssib

ility

of p

ublic

ser

vice

s (b

ased

on

prov

isio

n fo

r pi

ped

wat

er, s

anita

tion,

ele

ctric

ity, g

as,

publ

ic te

leph

ones

) G

Y

G

G

Y

G

G

G

Y

Y

G

Hou

sing

qua

lity

(bas

ed o

n qu

ality

of c

onst

ruct

ion,

den

sity

an

d pr

ovis

ion

of c

omm

unity

ser

vice

s)

G

R

Y

G

Y

Y

Y

G

Y

Y

Y

Hea

lthy

envi

ronm

ent (

base

d on

air

and

wat

er q

ualit

y an

d ex

tent

of n

oise

and

pol

lutio

n)

G

Y

G

G

Y

YY

GG

YG

Pos

sibi

lity

of e

njoy

ing

publ

ic s

pace

(ba

sed

on, a

mon

g ot

her

thin

gs, a

cces

s to

par

ks a

nd e

colo

gica

l res

erve

s)

G

R

R

Y

R

Y

G

G

Y

Y

Y

Aes

thet

ic a

nd s

ymbo

lic v

alue

of l

ands

cape

(re

late

d to

ric

hnes

s an

d va

riety

of n

atur

al a

nd b

uilt

envi

ronm

ent)

G

RY

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Phy

sica

l sec

urity

of t

he a

rea

(bas

ed o

n le

vel o

f ris

k fr

om

eart

hqua

kes,

eru

ptio

ns, l

ands

lides

and

floo

ds)

Y

R

Y

Y

R

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Citi

zen

secu

rity

(bas

ed o

n fr

eque

ncy

of a

ssau

lts,

mur

ders

, tra

ffic

acci

dent

s, v

anda

lism

of p

ublic

spa

ce)

Y

R

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Qua

lity

and

effic

ienc

y of

tran

spor

t G

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Citi

zen

part

icip

atio

n in

env

ironm

enta

l iss

ues

(rel

ated

to

exte

nt o

f par

ticip

atio

n in

diff

eren

t pro

ject

s an

d pr

ogra

mm

es)

R

G

Y

G

G

Y

G

G

Y

Y

R

SU

MM

AR

Y

Y

R

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

SC

OR

E

4912

29

00

4241

50

35

4095

47

81

4834

54

33

4348

41

77

4290

R —

red

whi

ch in

dica

tes

prob

lem

s;Y

— y

ello

w w

hich

giv

es a

war

ning

of p

ossi

ble

prob

lem

s;G

— g

reen

whi

ch in

dica

tes

good

qua

lity



month or every three months. Based on this data, ten compos-ite indicators have been developed reflecting overall environ-mental quality – see Table 1. For each of these, scores havebeen derived which fall into one of three categories:

� red which indicates problems;� yellow which gives a warning of possible problems;� green which indicates good quality.

As Table 1 shows, this allows a visual representation of whereenvironmental problems are concentrated in terms of sector andin terms of area within the city. Table 1 shows the scores for the11 comunas into which the urban area of Manizales is divided.

Since the completion of the Manizales municipal environmen-tal profile in 1994, environmental quality traffic lights scoringhas been applied as a manually operated monitoring system.Its methodological advantages have proved themselves over thecourse of four years as it has proved possible to monitor the tenenvironmental quality indicators listed in Table 1.

Many communities have helped to gather the data needed forthis monitoring with help from the university. The simple meth-odology has also allowed communities to apply and interpretthe system directly and to use the system to help define theircommunity environmental agendas.

However, at present, there are still dif ficulties in covering thewhole territory and in processing, verifying and analyzing thedata. Systematization of the results is very slow and the infor-mation is not distributed regularly to the institutions and com-munities. Problems have also arisen in relation to the munici-pal of fice which collates, centralizes and distributes the infor-mation, as well as the commitment of the institutions support-ing the process due to the magnitude of the human resourcesrequired during the evaluation of the results. As a result, IDEAand the Autonomous University of Manizales, using the envi-ronmental quality traffic lights methodology, technical advancesin information technology and geo-referenced information, withtechnical support from the United Nations’ ECLA and financialassistance from the Italian government, designed a system ofurban environmental observatories for Manizales. The first stageof this will be implemented in 1998 with technical and financialsupport from Colombia’s Ministry of the Environment.

c. The Urban Environmental Observatories

It is important to describe some of the main features of thissystem of observatories because it brings together much of thetechnical, economic and managerial effort which has succeededin making popular participation in sustainable development apriority in Manizales today.

The urban observatories are the physical locations where thecommunity has access to environmental information. They arealso the places where the programmes of environmental educa-tion for the implementation of the LEAP-Bioplan unfold andwhere the community is encouraged to improve the environ-


LOCAL AGENDA 21, MANIZALESF

igu

re 1

: Th

e S

yste

m i

n M

aniz

ales

to

Mo

nit

or,

Fo

llow

up

an

d M

anag

e th

e Im

ple

men

tati

on

of

the

Dev

elo

pm

ent

Pla

n

Rec

ordi

ngD

ata

Brin

ging

it To

geth

erP

roce

ssin

gA

naly

sis

Dis

trib

utio

nof

Info

rmat

ion

Dis

sem

inat

ion

of In

form

atio

n

Inst

itutio

nal

Sou

rces

of

Info

rmat

ion

Urb

anO

bser

vato

ries

Com

mun

ityLe

ader

s

Cen

tre

for

Pro

cess

ing

the

Info

rmat

ion

Sup

port

Cen

tre

for

Pro

cess

ing

Gov

ernm

ent

Cou

ncil

Land

Use

Pla

nnin

g C

ounc

il

Inst

itutio

ns o

fS

uppo

rt a

ndD

isse

min

atio

n

Pop

ular

Pub

licP

lace

s

Urb

anO

bser

vato

ries

Info

rmat

ion

orR

esou

rce

Cen

tre

Com

mun

ity

The

"T

raffi

cLi

ghts

" sh

owin

gE

nviro

nmen

tal

Indi

cato

rs

Upd

atin

g, s

uper

visi

onan

d co

ordi

natio

n of

the

who

le s

yste

m

The

tech

nica

l com

mitt

eefo

r co

ordi

natio

n



mental quality indicators. For this reason, their operationalbudget includes the resources necessary to develop activitieswhich complement the planning process.

Figure 1 illustrates the role of the urban environmental ob-servatories as intermediaries and information sources, linkingthe community and the municipal administration. They serveboth as key points for collecting data and for analyzing and dis-seminating it.

It is around the action plan of these sites that the joint workfor carrying out the programmes and projects are to be formu-lated and promoted. The observatories need not be separatefrom existing community meeting places. In each community,existing facilities were evaluated and the most suitable site waschosen, thus reducing running costs.

i. The Operation of the System: To help run the system,agreements were reached and an accord signed between themunicipality, IDEA and the Ministry of the Environment. Thesystem is part of the Bank for Programmes and Projects withMunicipal Investment (BPIM) which will be responsible for su-pervising LEAP investments. At the BPIM, the technical and fi-nancial viability of the Bioplan’s projects will be evaluated. Theseprojects should be able to solve environmental problems andalso draw on local resources in order to reduce costs and imple-mentation time. The municipal budget provides 80 per cent ofthe financing and they can receive co-financing from regional ornational governmental bodies.

ii. Technical Training of the Communities: In each comuna,people were called together to facilitate broad participation bythe various working groups, cooperative residents’ associationsand community leaders. This led to the selection of individualsto receive technical training, leading in turn to subsequent se-lection of the operators and coordinators of the observatories.

iii. The Indicators for Monitoring the Environmental Ac-tion Plan – Bioplan: Following a careful bibliographic review ofrecent experiences with environmental management indicators,the components, factors, variables and indicators of the envi-ronmental quality traffic lights system were agreed, taking intoaccount which were feasible in the municipality of Manizales.Thus, the most relevant and feasible indicators for implement-ing the system of environmental observatories took shape. Arelatively simple way of classifying the factors into groups and,in turn, the groups into variables and sub-variables was cho-sen because of the desire for the procedure to be comprehensi-ble to all – not only to experts. For Manizales, the system ismade up of three components: the social component, the eco-nomic component and the environmental component. These aresummarized briefly below – with Tables 2 and 3 giving moredetails of the indicators used for monitoring social and environ-mental conditions and trends.



iv.Table 2: Examples of the Indicators used in Monitoring Social Conditions in Manizales

A. WELFARESector Indicators Area for which available Frequency

Education Percentage of population who are literate Comuna and municipality AnnualStaff to student ratio AnnualPercentage of school age children not at school Comuna and municipality Annualfor: preschool; primary school; and secondary school Percentage of students not attending: preschool; Comuna and municipality Annualprimary school; and secondary school

Health Morbidity Municipality MonthlyGeneral mortality rate MonthlyMaternal mortality rate AnnualPerinatal mortality rate AnnualInfant mortality rate Monthly AnnualLife expectancy at birth Municipality Annual

Social security Proportion of population covered by social and Comuna and municipality Annualfamily securityNumber of persons by subsidized health care services

Citizen security Number of murders per month Comuna and municipality QuarterlyNumber of traffic accidents relative to number of automobilesNumber of traffic accidents per monthNumber of assaults and homicides in public space per 10,000 personsNumber of murders per month

Recreation and Percentage green area Comuna and municipality Six-monthlyculture Number of inhabitants in relation to the number

of cultural buildings NB. This list is to illustrate some of the social indicators collected or calculated; it is not a complete list and does not include themany economic indicators also collected.

B. EQUITY

Sector Indicator Area for which available Frequency

Housing Percentage of housing Comuna and municipality Every three— that is overcrowded years— with good quality construction— with piped water, sewers, gas, electricity— in areas served with public telephones

Income Dependency ratio For low-income comuna Six-monthly

Urban poverty Level of SISBEN (municipal indicators of poverty) Municipality and for poorer AnnualProportion of population with unsatisfied basic comunaneedsProportion of population below poverty lineProportion of population in each socio — economic stratumIncome per nuclear family for the vulnerable populationSocial composition;diversity of social strata

C. ORGANIZATION FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATIONSector Indicator Area for which available Frequency

Participation in In relation to the population of voting age Comuna and municipality Wheneverpolitics — number of active political groups elections

— number of people who vote take place

Community Number of active community representatives Comuna and municipality Annualparticipation Number of community organizations Annual

Number of projects presented by the community to the BPIM AnnualNumber of projects executed by the community Annual

Governmental Number of public projects Municipality AnnualPercentage of municipal budget for inter-institutional cooperationNumber of international agreements

NGOs Percentage of municipal budget going to projects Municipality Annualexecuted by NGOs

Private sector Percentage of municipal budget for projects and Municipality Annual programmes executed by the private sector



iv. The Social Component� Welfare: This concentrates on measuring the population’s

quality of life so it is a decisive factor for interpreting munici-pal environmental quality. As shown in Table 2, a variety ofindicators are available for the quality and coverage of edu-cation, health, social security, citizen security, and recrea-tion and culture.

� Equity: This is intimately linked to the urban quality offeredby the municipality to the lowest-income population. Withineach comuna, and for the whole municipality, the quality ofhousing is monitored, including the proportion of householdswith basic services, as is the proportion of the populationthat is below the poverty line or which has unsatisfied basicneeds.

� Organization for citizen participation: Improving the popu-lation’s quality of life depends, to a considerable degree, onthis factor. It is necessary to evaluate the degree of genuinepopular participation in management processes and the op-tions for such participation offered by the municipality. Asshown in Table 2, a variety of indicators are used to monitorthe level of participation in politics, community action andpublic programmes, and the extent of NGO and private sec-tor involvement.

� Investment: Here, the interest lies in evaluating and meas-uring the implementation of programmes and projects in themunicipality which improve the population’s quality of life.Among the variables to be taken into account are investmentin infrastructure for community services, investment in edu-cation for participation, and investment in improving dwell-ings and their surroundings.

v. The Economic Component� Efficiency: Various indicators are used to measure and moni-

tor the proportion of regional and national production thatthe municipality contributes; the main sources of funds forthe municipality including local, national and internationalsources; the management of the debt; and administrative ef-ficiency.

� Production: Various indicators are used to monitor the scaleand nature of economic activity and of the labour force withinthe municipality.

� Investment: Here, the main interests are in monitoring thenumber of projects started and completed by BPIM; the effi-ciency of tax collection; the proportion of the municipal budgetdestined for technical assistance to the productive sector; andthe level of investment within the municipality.

vi. The Environmental Component� Natural resources: As Table 3 shows, a variety of indicators



Table 3: Examples of the Indicators used in Monitoring Environmental Conditions inManizales

A. NATURAL RESOURCES

Sector Indicators Area for which available Frequency

Air, water, soil, Volume of water extracted by sector Municipality and the wider Monthlyflora and fauna Water quality region; some data also Monthly

Proportion of total potential of the river basin/catchment available at the level of Annualarea used the comuna

Proportion of area deforested QuarterlyProportion of protected watershed areas reforestedProportion of land covered with primary and secondary forest

Relative importance of vehicles, commerce and industry in air pollution

Percentage of land area: Annual— subject to erosion— with potential for agriculture— unstable geologically— protected from development

Physical security Number of registered events in attending to and Municipality and comuna Annualpreventing disasters (broken down by income group)Proportion of housing:— with earthquake resistant construction— in zones of high riskProportion of municipal budget allocated to research on disaster preventionProportion of municipal budget going to improvement of degraded areas

B. ENERGY EFFICIENCY


Clean production Percentage of industries using clean technologies Municipality AnnualPercentage of industries using alternative energy Annual

Efficient production Percentage of plant wastes recycled Municipality MonthlyPercentage of industries internalizing their Annualenvironmental costs

Energy Total energy consumption by sector Region and municipality Monthlyconsumption Total energy consumption relative to municipal GDP

Urban system Number of industries who are re-using or recycling Municipality AnnualTransport Average velocity of road traffic Municipality and some Monthly

Number of vehicles relative to road length comunas AnnualState and type of road paving Six-monthlyPercentage of vehicles that are for public transport AnnualNumber of passenger-km travelled per km of road AnnualIndices of accidents Monthly

C. CLEANING UP


Particular impacts Percentage of population affected by water-related Municipality Monthlydisease (by social group)Percentage of households without treated water AnnualProportion of water bodies contaminated MonthlyPercentage of population suffering respiratory diseases AnnualConcentration of different polluting gases at certain critical points AnnualNoise levels AnnualPopulation relocated from areas of high risk Annual

D. INVESTMENT


Infrastructure Percentage of municipal budget for infrastructure Municipality AnnualinvestmentPercentage of investment for managing and treating water AnnualPercentage of investment on research on biodiversity AnnualPercentage of public and private investment in control of AnnualcontaminationMunicipal budget for funds for local emergencies AnnualScale of construction of basic infrastructure Annual

Environmental Number of programmes for environmental education Municipality Annual education within higher education



are available to monitor the quality and use of water, soil andair.

� Physical security of the surroundings: Including the levelsof risk arising from floods, landslides, avalanches, forest fires,and geological and seismic risks,.

� Energy efficiency: Here, the interest lies in monitoring theproportion of industries using clean production methods andalternative energies; the extent of recycling; the efficiency withwhich energy is being used; and the performance of the trans-port sector.

� Cleaning up: Here, the interest lies in monitoring the extentof particular environmental hazards such as the percentageof the population affected by water related diseases or by res-piratory diseases (see Table 3 for more details).

� Investment: This includes investment in environmental edu-cation and investment in infrastructure (see Table 3).

vii. Developing the System’s Computerized Logical Support(software): This involves writing computer programmes to sup-port the processes of recording and processing the data and ofdistributing the information produced by the system. It includestests of the software’s reliability and consistency and the pro-duction of complete documentation (user’s manual, adminis-trator’s manual, and maintenance and updating manual).

viii. Data-processing: This includes all the activities of group-ing, arranging and performing calculations on the data in orderto obtain all the indicators showing the state of the environmentin the municipality and in particular the impact of the actionsconsidered in the LEAP. These indicators are produced in de-tailed form for each comuna as well as for each evaluation factoraggregated at the level of the whole municipality. As a result ofthis process, it is possible to make changes in the indicators.Similarly, a relationship is to be established of projects and in-vestments associated with improvements in each indicator, com-paring the positive or negative variations achieved by the in-vestment.

ix. Continuous Assessment: All the indicators determiningenvironmental quality and the achievements of the LEAP are tobe assessed by the technical committee, the council of munici-pal government and the territorial planning council. Once val-ues for the indicators have been obtained for a set period, theyneed to be analyzed by the municipal government with the aimof evaluating the advances achieved and seeking explanationsfor the setbacks. This should allow corresponding decisions tobe taken to promote the desired goals. In order for the mayorand his group of immediate collaborators to make a completeanalysis of the results, they need to have available all the indi-cators calculated and to have at their disposal their variation



over time; also, the indicators applicable to the comunas or theterritorial unit, as a point of reference. The system will supplythis information, with the values corresponding to investmentsin the BPIM’s projects and programmes.

x. Socialization and Dissemination of the Information tothe Residents: To achieve effective dissemination of environ-mental information, the mass media (press, radio and televi-sion) will be used, supported by the production and distribu-tion of printed leaflets and direct interaction with the commu-nity through activities coordinated by the secretariat of com-munity development and the university. An intense campaignof information dissemination regarding the system is to be car-ried out, telling people about the system’s goals, its manner ofoperation, the function of the urban observatories and, aboveall, about the role which the community is to play in the sys-tem’s operative structure. The most suitable locations for thedissemination of information about the system’s results are, inthe first instance, the urban environmental observatories whichwill assume responsibility for the continuous promotion of train-ing and actions to address social, economic and environmentalproblems in the communities corresponding to their respectiveareas of influence. Other information dissemination sites arebusy public places such as the airport, the transport terminal,Bolívar Square and the commercial centres, among others, whereit would be appropriate to have effective means of communicat-ing the state of the indicators – for example with an electronicpanel displaying the environmental quality traffic lights.

xi. The Environmental Bulletin: To help disseminate the re-sults in the urban observatories and public places, it would beuseful to produce periodically a bulletin containing the mostimportant indicators, together with explanatory notes and com-mentaries in order to motivate action. The bulletins should beoriented towards producing greater popular awareness of theneed to improve certain aspects of the city and the importancefor this of popular participation. It would also be useful to em-ploy the mass media such as radio, the press and television todisseminate results and to educate citizens to interpret theseand to assume responsibility vis-à-vis the variations.

The establishment of the system of environmental observato-ries for monitoring and evaluating the LEAP-Bioplan aims tofacilitate decision-making and provide a continuous evaluationof the indicators making up social, economic and environmen-tal components. For the construction and activation of the sys-tem, various technological alternatives were considered and theirrespective set-up and running costs compared. As a result ofanalyzing and comparing them, it was possible to select the oneof fering the greatest possibility for the integration of inter-insti-tutional management and for socialization among the popula-tion.

Agenda 21; a form of joint environmental management in Manizales ...

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