Proyecto Nativus: Formulación del modelo estratégico de articulación Universidad-Territorio, impacto del PCLB (Docencia, Investigación, Extensión) para aportar en la gestión integral de la reserva forestal municipal La Rochela (Nocaima, Cundinamarca)

Abstract

The Nativus Project is a strategic initiative aimed at establishing a university–territory partnership model that integrates the core functions of teaching, research, and outreach carried out by the Biology Teacher Education Program (Proyecto Curricular de Licenciatura en Biología, PCLB) at Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas with the environmental and educational management of the La Rochela Municipal Forest Reserve, located in the village of San Juanito, Municipality of Nocaima, Cundinamarca, Colombia. The project emerged from the identification of a dual institutional and territorial gap. On the one hand, the PCLB lacks a permanent territorial setting that enables the integration of its substantive academic functions within rural contexts characterized by high ecological and social value. On the other hand, the La Rochela Reserve does not have an academic and pedagogical framework capable of guiding conservation, research, and environmental education processes. From an ecological and educational perspective, the project proposes the development of a strategic university–territory partnership model that links the PCLB's research groups, undergraduate research seedbeds, and academic courses with the environmental and social needs of the reserve. In addition, it establishes a collaborative framework that defines institutional roles, coordination mechanisms, implementation phases, and monitoring indicators to ensure effective and sustainable cooperation. The proposed model is grounded in the principles of university outreach, place-based learning, and participatory planning for territorial stewardship. It recognizes that the university–territory relationship is not a one-way transfer of knowledge but rather a collaborative process in which knowledge is co-created through continuous interaction between academia and local communities. The expected outcomes include the consolidation of the La Rochela Municipal Forest Reserve as a living classroom and a living pedagogical laboratory, providing an authentic learning environment for the education of future biology teachers committed to personal, social, and environmental responsibility, while simultaneously strengthening biodiversity conservation, community engagement, and sustainable territorial development.