Barranquilla was the setting where Colombia’s main capitals showed the world how they are redefining their urban growth with a perspective that places biodiversity and sustainability at the center. During the Biodiverse Cities: Voices of Mayors forum, held as part of the OECD Global Forum on Local Development, Alejandro Char, mayor of Barranquilla; Carlos Fernando Galán, mayor of Bogotá; and Diego Fernando Hau Caicedo, secretary of the environment for Cali, shared their strategies for building resilient, green, and economically sustainable cities.
LEA TAMBIÉN
The meeting was moderated by Emil Rodríguez, Director of Urban Development at CAF, who recalled that this network emerged in Colombia, specifically in Barranquilla, as a joint initiative with the WEF and the Humboldt Institute to mainstream biodiversity in urban planning. “It is a source of pride to see how this network grew from a local idea to a continental platform,” said Rodríguez.
Bogotá: a biodiverse city by nature
Carlos Fernando Galán, Mayor of Bogotá, at the OECD in Barranquilla. Foto:El Tiempo
Carlos Fernando Galán highlighted that Bogotá is not only a city with a high proportion of rural areas, accounting for 75% of its territory, but is also home to extraordinary biodiversity. “We have the largest páramo in the world within the urban perimeter, more than 10% of the country’s vertebrate fauna, and several wetlands classified as Ramsar sites,” explained the mayor.
Galán revealed details of one of his flagship projects: the consolidation of the Thomas van der Hammen Reserve, located north of the city.
We have created an innovative tool that allows landowners in this area to hand over their land to the District in exchange for building rights in urban renewal areas. We already have 234 hectares on offer, two and a half times the size of Simón Bolívar Park.
Carlos fernando galánBogotá City Mayor
Another major milestone he highlighted was the unblocking of the Petar Canoas project, which will enable 100% of Bogotá’s wastewater to be treated. “Today, 70% of this water is discharged untreated into the Bogotá River, which flows into the Magdalena. We are going to change that reality with one of the most important environmental projects in the country,” said Galán.
Barranquilla: from a broken city to a capital of biodiversity
Alejandro Char, mayor of Barranquilla, at the OECD Forum 2025 Foto:Sergio Cárdenas. EL TIEMPO
The host, Alejandro Char, took advantage of the forum to outline the path of transformation that Barranquilla has undergone in the last two decades. He recalled that the city went from being broke and unable to invest, with more than 60,000 children out of school, to becoming a national benchmark in education, health, and public spaces.
“Today, Barranquilla has 140 new public schools, 12 SENA headquarters, and training programs in software, artificial intelligence, and data analysis starting in ninth grade,” said Char, assuring that this investment in human capital was the first step toward a more inclusive and sustainable city.
In his second and third terms, the focus was on environmental transformation.
We went from talking about streams to talking about the Magdalena River, the Mallorquín swamp, and the beaches of Puerto Mocho. We created the Mallorquín Ecopark, a 500-hectare sanctuary of mangroves where more than 150 species of migratory birds arrive.
Alejandro CharBarranquilla Major
This ecopark was recently included in Audubon’s international birdwatching network, becoming the only one outside the United States with that status.
In addition, the city undertook an ambitious reforestation program with 200,000 mature trees planted and the recovery of the great river boardwalk, now Colombia’s most visited tourist site with more than 70 million visits since 2017.
Char took advantage of the forum to reiterate his expectation that, on July 25, CAF will approve a new financing package of $50 million to continue promoting environmental and social projects in Barranquilla.
Cali: green transition as an economic driver
Mayors at the OECD Local Development Forum in Barranquilla. Foto:El Tiempo
Representing Mayor Alejandro Eder, Cali’s Secretary of the Environment, Diego Fernando Hau, stressed that the COP16 Biodiversity Conference, held in that city in 2024, marked a turning point. “It forced us to speak the same language across all departments: the environment is not just an ecological issue, but also an economic and social one,” he said.
Cali is developing an ambitious sustainable city master plan that includes decarbonization, clean mobility, and innovative financial mechanisms.
We want the entire public transport fleet to be electric or hydrogen-powered, leveraged with green bonds and carbon certificates. Colombia was a pioneer in carbon markets and we must take advantage of that advantage.
Diego Fernando HauSecretary of the Environment of Cali
He added that Cali is attracting interest from banks and investors, but needs clear investment vehicles to channel resources. ”We want to use nature-based solutions and green businesses to catalyze real economic development. It’s no longer just about planting trees, but about generating sustainable returns,» he emphasized.
A network that scales up good practices
Mayors at the OECD Local Development Forum in Barranquilla. Foto:El Tiempo
The forum closed with a message from Emil Rodríguez, Director of Urban Development at CAF, who highlighted that this space is also a platform to bring the voice of Latin American cities to global forums where key decisions for urban development are made.
As you have seen, this network is not only for sharing best practices, but also for internationalizing our cities. Just as we are here today in Barranquilla with the OECD, last year we were at COP16 in Cali, and we want to continue taking these examples to COP30 in Brazil and beyond.
Emil rodríguezDirector of Urban Development at CAF
He recalled that, through joint work with subnational governments, CAF has strengthened the capacity of territories to implement sustainable models and attract international investment. «We want projects such as the Mallorquín Ecopark, Petar Canoas in Bogotá, and Cali’s Sustainable Master Plan to become replicable examples. And to that end, this network is the bridge between local ambition and global action,» he concluded.
With a final ovation and the promise of new technical visits to Barranquilla’s flagship projects during the forum, it was clear that Biodiverse Cities is not just a concept: it is a reality in the making. And Colombia, from its most representative cities, is leading that transformation.
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Fuente de TenemosNoticias.com: www.eltiempo.com
Publicado el: 2025-07-09 14:26:00
En la sección: EL TIEMPO.COM -Colombia