Securing peace through sustainable rural development in Colombia

As with most armed conflicts, the roots of the troubles in Colombia are complex and interwoven. For example, disputes over land and natural resources were certainly a trigger for violence in Colombia, and contributed to deforestation and ecosystem degradation, but the conflict also limited the exploitation of other resources. Any platform for continued peacebuilding and development in the wake of the conflict must reflect these nuances and be similarly integrated. Elsewhere in the world we've seen post-conflict situations transmute into environmental conflicts, leading to increased pressure on natural resources and deforestation. It's something Colombia wants to avoid.

E3 (Ecología, Economía y Ética) develops innovative projects, strategies and solutions involving climate change, peace, development and new economies which benefit society and the environment. In 2014, we partnered with E3 alongside Avina Foundation (which promotes sustainability at scale) and Redprodepaz (a peacebuilding and development network) to explore how we could promote sustainable rural development in this post-conflict context. The goal was to prevent environmental confrontations by defining access to natural resources in a way that affords sustainable livelihoods to local communities.

Two tracks were identified. The first – 'La Vida Querida' – helps rural organisations in the Redprodepaz network to create governance models which secure their rights, values and influence in the public sphere. The second track aims to build an economic system in the territories where industrial scale activities do not jeopardise ecosystems resilience or rural and indigenous land rights, economies and values. A series of maps detailing environment and economic opportunities formed the basis of a consolidated 'Urabá Clima y Paz Plan' in 19 municipalities of the Urabá region, and has led to E3 advising Redprodepaz on its environment agenda. Despite challenges and setbacks, both projects have exceeded expectations and further research is planned to increase understanding of the types of economic systems that could be proposed to the rural territories.