More than 40,000 trees have been planted in the rural and urban areas of Cali.
- The forest restoration led by Metro Cali is part of the compensation for the damage caused during the execution of the MIO works.
- Tree compensation is one of the environmental milestones of Cali’s mass transportation system, which are announced on the occasion of COP16.
Santiago de Cali, May 9, 2024
Before officials of the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Valle del Cauca (CVC), Metro Cali officially handed over a forest in an advanced process of ecological rehabilitation, located on the La Cajita property. It is a natural reserve owned by the Municipal Companies of Cali (Emcali), located in the district of Pichindé.
12,652 trees of various native species were planted on the site, in an area of 28 hectares. This rehabilitation was given as tree compensation for the damage to 1,338 trees, which were intervened during the execution of six works of the integrated mass transportation system, MIO.
The works in question were the optimization of Calle 5, phase II pre-trunks, the Simón Bolívar and Aguablanca terminals and sections I and II of the Eastern Trunk. Of this total planted, 1,320 were already delivered in 2023 and so far this year there are 7,129. The remainder will be delivered over the next two years.
“The trees are being maintained and replaced. We have already achieved trees with heights of up to 8 or 10 meters, which were planted since 2016. Now we have trees that have mostly responded to our maintenance, such as the giant titmouse, the balso, the guamo and the chagualo. They are quite resistant native species and they are helping us to regenerate the entire sector,” explained Lina María García Ávila, environmental leader of the Metro Cali Infrastructure Directorate.
In turn, Jorge Eduardo Solano, CVC forestry engineer, referred to the importance of this type of reforestation activities. “It guarantees us, through tree species, ecosystem services of great importance, including food and habitat for fauna. We need our soils to be reforested with all species and mechanisms for this purpose,” he stated.
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Reforestation, in addition to contributing to this water-producing reserve area, has meant the recovery of an important space for wildlife. “We have quite a few species of birds, we have seen guacharacas, also woodpeckers; We have made sightings of armadillos, snakes, guatines and in some sectors we have been able to see deer. There is a large population of wild species that lives in this place and that are also returning,” added Lina García.
The satisfactory receipt of this forest by the regional environmental authority occurs after all the obligations established in the forest use permit resolutions have been fulfilled, which, in general, consist of carrying out maintenance such as plating, fertilization, control of pests and replanting of dead trees. These resolutions define periods for the execution of compensation that vary between three and five years.
“It is important to first evaluate the tree cover that is forming on this site, native and of vital importance for the ecosystem. We know that Metro Cali’s obligations arise from tree compensation for construction activities in the urban area. And we know that it is important to recognize all the very diverse native species that have been planted here; There is a very heterogeneous coverage, very important for us and the community,” said engineer Solano.
During the execution of 33 projects or large infrastructure works for the MIO, around 4,700 trees were eradicated and compensation has been made with the planting of more than 40,000. That is, for each affected tree, 10 have been planted.
In addition to the La Cajita property, tree compensation has been carried out in the La Vorágine district, in the sector known as Chorro de Plata, and in Loma Larga, Pance district.
This tree compensation constitutes a milestone of environmental recovery by the MIO system and in view of COP 16, which will take place in Santiago de Cali between October 21 and November 1, 2024.
“It is of great importance because we know that it is a summit for biodiversity, focused on the social part. With reforestation we have an index of tree species of great importance and native to our ecosystem. We know that COP16 comes with that focus on biodiversity and conservation of our environment and that is a purpose that we must focus on,” concluded the CVC forestry engineer, Jorge Eduardo Solano.
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