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COURSE INFO PROVIDER: SWSPCP Webinar
COURSE TITLE: Environmental Governance and Ecological Risks of the Wetlands in the Bogota Plateau, Columbia

INSTRUCTORS Msc. Patricia Veloza Torres
Msc. Sergio Guarin Torres

COURSE DESCRIPTION Abstracts:
Patricia Veloza Torres: This project analyzed the environmental governance models of the Moyano wetland in Madrid, Cundinamarca, and the La Vaca wetland in Bogotá. The institutions (laws and policies) and structures (formal and informal organizations) in the two case studies were examined. For the La Vaca wetland, it is evident that there is a co-management governance model, given the high participation of the local community in conservation processes of this ecosystem. In the case of the Moyano wetland, there is a more passive governance model regarding the application of national wetland conservation policies, allowing for greater pressure on this ecosystem from surrounding agro-industrial companies and a context of low recognition of its importance by the local communities.

Sergio Guarín Torres: This research aimed to identify the wetlands present in the middle basin of the Bogotá River and to conduct an Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) of the main drivers of change from anthropogenic sources. Wetland identification was carried out by combining satellite image data and an automatic classification procedure using machine learning algorithms. A total of 647 wetlands were recorded (52% artificial and 48% natural), occupying an area of 970 hectares. The ERA showed that the greatest threats to the wetlands are land use changes due to agro-industrial uses, urban expansion, and pressure from water consumption by industrial companies and livestock. The vulnerability of the ecosystems is increased by inadequate environmental governance and continuous exposure.

Speaker Bio's:
Patricia Veloza Torres is an integrated researcher at the Center for Geographic Studies, Institute of Geography and Territorial Planning, at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where she is pursuing a doctorate in Geography. She has a master's degree in Regional and Urban Planning from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and a degree in Geography from the National University of Colombia. She is also a specialist in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and has a degree in Community Education with an emphasis on Human Rights from the National Pedagogical University of Colombia.

Her research focuses on socio-environmental conflict analysis, political ecology, feminist geography, social movements and environmental planning. In particular, she emphasizes the study of environmental governance of water resources and wetlands in Bogotá, the Bogotá’s Savannah and central zone of Portugal. She has more than fifteen years of experience working in the socio-environmental field with local communities, social organizations and environmental NGOs. In addition, she has experience in the public sector and in technical and investigative consulting projects.

Sergio Guarin Torres is a Junior Researcher at the Risk Observatory of the Center for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biology (Universidad del Magdalena, Colombia) and a master’s degree in environmental studies (University of Aveiro, Portugal). He is currently a doctoral student in Territory, Risk and Public Policy at the University of Lisbon.

He has worked for 7 years in public and private entities in the analysis of socioecological systems and environmental impact assessment. For 15 years he has participated in environmental associations, with emphasis on scientific and community participation in the production of public policies for the uses of the territory. In 2019 he was delegated as the youth representative at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 25). His current scientific interests are: i) Identify the impacts of land occupation on ecological systems, especially wetlands, ii) Improve environmental governance and, in particular, the territorial planning to control land occupation, and iii) ) Evaluate the ecological risk of the effects of land use occupation and its relationship with the intensification of the effects of climate change.

Course Duration: 60 minutes
Credit Points: 0.06

SYLLABUS/TOPICAL OUTLINE - 5-10 min: Presentation about the HumMentor Program - 20 min: Patricia Veloza Torres Project - 20 min: Sergio Guarin Torres Project - 15 min: Questions and Answers and Conclusion

COURSE CONTACT

Jason Tucker
9999 Carver Road, Suite 210, Blue Ash, OH 45242-5552
jason.tucker@hdrinc.com
P: 5133492478
F:

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