In the first instance, 32 billion pesos (over USD$ 9.0 million) will be provided to start the execution of the Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta project, which is focused on the recovery of ecosystems and improving the governance of the communities to organize the territory around the water.
According to the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Susana Muhamad, the aim is for the communities to be the executors of the restoration processes and to be able to generate a productive transformation of the ecoregion towards a bio economy that contributes to closing the historical inequality gaps in the department.
To this end, 131,746 million (about USD$ 34 million) will further be allocated for the restoration of the Sierra Cienaga corridor of the Fundacion River Basin, which will connect the areas of expansion of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park and the Sierra Nevada-Serrania del Perija corridor.
According to the information provided, the projects seek to enhance ecosystem connectivity in the Caribbean with the areas of the National System of Protected Areas, achieve better water functionality and, therefore, arrange the territory around water to benefit 193,479 people in 12 municipalities of Magdalena.
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