Brief project description):

The project, called Go Nature Positive, is funded by the international cooperation agency Horizon Europe-UKRI (UK Research and Innovation Funding Agency). It adopts a multi-stakeholder approach to systemic change, focusing on nature-based solutions (NBS) and nature-based businesses (NBBs). With this in mind, the project aims to transform industry value chains towards a positive nature through nature-based business models (NBBs). To address this need, the pilot project – Beekeeping – developed by the Pollinator Protection System (bees and wasps) associated with the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, Antioquia, Colombia, was selected. 

Implementation period: 2024-2027

Funders: Horizon Europe-UKRI (UK Research and Innovation Funding Agency)

Implementing organizations: The project is coordinated by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and involves 20 partners in 14 countries, represented by research institutions, non-profit and environmental organizations that lead the positive agenda for nature at the global and European levels.

Pilot Projects: 

1. Forestry – Etifor
2. Tourism – Etifor
3. Agro-ecology – Voedsel Anders 
4. Beekeeping – ICLEI Colombia (AMVA) 
5. Buildings & Construction – EFB (Austria) and 2 affiliates (Portugal and Slovakia)

Territory(ies) where it is implemented: Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, Department of Antioquia, Colombia

Products to be developed:

Component 1: Mapping the potential market for beekeeping, researching new agricultural practices and prices

Component 2: Integration of biodiversity in the agricultural sector

Component 3: Methods for integrating biodiversity assessment aligned with IPBES

Component 4: Regional demonstrator for wider replication in 10 municipalities

Component 5: Strengthening business cases and economic income for local communities

Component 6: Leveraging the ICLEI SAMS network to scale beyond Colombia - African connection

Key results:

The Aburrá Valley Pollinator Network emerged as a concrete action to advance towards more sustainable and resilient value chains, focusing on beekeeping and the protection of key pollinators such as bees and wasps. The pilot project is led by ICLEI Colombia through a strategy coordinated with the Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area (AMVA) in Antioquia, Colombia, with the objective of generating technical and scientific information that will establish a baseline for the monitoring, management, and conservation of pollinator populations in the region.