La participación comunitaria como factor relevante de la experiencia de reforestación en la microcuenca del río Paramito en San Juan de Ríoseco-Cundinamarca (2015-2016).

Abstract

In recent years, deforestation levels in Colombia have increased exponentially, especially due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier. Thus, in 2017 the IDEAM Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies registered 219,973 hectares deforested (IDEAM, 2019), which meant a significant increase compared to those observed in 2016 with 178,597 Ha (Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2017) and in 2015 with 124,035 Ha. This shows that the vulnerability of some ecosystems such as the watersheds is increasing, where the inhabitants near the rounds of the rivers generate more pressure on them and they deforest to expand their productive zones; generating in this type of ecosystem serious alterations in the water balance, higher levels of erosion and low floristic diversity. It is for the aforementioned that reforestation arises as an alternative to ecologically restore strategic areas that have been degraded or destroyed, especially in areas as susceptible to imbalance as the Galería forest; It is there where anthropogenic intervention has changed the ecosystem dynamics, generating mainly great environmental but also social and economic impacts, because many times the forests of the rivers that are deforested are also those that supply the population of the area with drinking water. Thus, reforestation is necessary to mitigate the environmental damage caused by deforestation, however, these processes of reforestation of the watersheds are carried out in most cases, without counting on the community in the area, so in the future many of these reforestation processes do not meet the long-term goals. This described context regarding the management, exploitation and use of the forest, indicates the need to promote reforestation processes that have Environmental Education (EA) strategies that allow progress towards an Environmental culture - whose bases have a solid technical and sociocultural knowledge in forestry- and environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. This research analyzes the reforestation experience developed through the “Tree Culture” project between 2015 and 2016 in the Micro basin of the Paramito river - municipality of San Juan de Río Seco (Cundinamarca), by the Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca (CAR ), the Municipal Unit for Agricultural Technical Assistance (UMATA) and 20 families (120 people). The purpose was to recognize some factors that influenced the strengthening of Community Participation during the reforestation project, from EA activities. Methodologically, the qualitative paradigm and exploratory research were chosen, from which the lived experience was ordered, prioritized and reconstructed, to advance towards a critical interpretation of the process. Among the factors were the following: establishment of agreements and alliances; credibility and trust, strengthening community interest and contextualizing EA activities in the territory. The results obtained can contribute and inspire other reforestation processes that aim to encourage the participation and strengthening of communities through environmental education strategies.