Priorización de los servicios ecosistémicos y estrategias de potencialización de la Reserva Natural de la Sociedad Civil “ECOSARAVITA”, ubicada en el municipio de Puente Nacional Santander

Abstract

Civil Society Nature Reserves are private conservation strategies whose objective is to conserve a sample of a natural ecosystem present within them. With this in mind, these reserves provide a range of diverse ecosystem services that benefit both local communities and society at large. The objective of this research was to diagnose the ecosystem services provided by the Ecosaravita Civil Society Nature Reserve (RSN), located in the municipality of Puente Nacional, Santander, Colombia, and to prioritize these services. The ecosystem services identified include climate regulation, water provision, biodiversity conservation, and ecotourism. The study sought to diagnose and prioritize these benefits to generate evidence to support their conservation and sustainable management. The methodology used was based on the identification of ecosystem services, using secondary information and a semi-structured survey conducted among management, the surrounding community, and visitors from other sites within the Ecosaravita National Reserve. Based on these results, a prioritization matrix was proposed, which included two relevant aspects for evaluation: a theoretical assessment and an assessment based on community perceptions. Finally, based on the results obtained, an action plan was proposed as the main strategy to enhance the reserve's development. The results obtained included the identification of 14 ecosystem services provided by the reserve, as well as the prioritization of provisioning services (water provision), regulation and support services (climate regulation, biodiversity conservation), and cultural services (recreational services - ecotourism). It is also important to mention that the proposed action plan serves as the basis for public policies and conservation strategies.