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Blueprint: process, lessons, and next steps

We have compiled a series of lessons from our experience in pilot testing the Blueprint for a Sustainable Landscape in Zona Bananera, Colombia. 

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Lessons Learned

The process

Blueprint has been an exciting, yet challenging, endeavor implemented during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Tools were field-tested in Colombia’s biodiversity-rich Caribbean ecoregion (Zona Bananera municipality of the Magdalena Department) with a representative sample of 220 respondents and high-resolution land cover analysis of 14,500 hectares (33% of the municipality) of oil palm and banana-dominated landscapes. Working in Zona Bananera SAN and Fundación Natura teamed up to engage local stakeholders, including smallholder producers, communities, local government, civil society, and companies, in assessing the sustainability performance of the region.

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Blueprint tools were used to determine key environmental, social and economic challenges and opportunities in the municipality through primary and secondary data collection and geospatial analysis to understand current and historic land use. Facilitating this community-driven approach allowed SAN to gain a deeper understanding and a clearer vision for how important local stakeholders are to achieve sustainability outcomes successfully.

Relevant documents

Manual for completing Blueprint questionnaire on ODK mobile app

GIS replication protocol

Key recommendations to VSS on how to function more efficiently at the landscape level

Matrix of indicators

Steps to encourage participation in the Blueprint

How to select useful secondery data at landscape level

Multiscale analysis of land covers for the Zona Bananera municipality

SAN Partner

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Project supporter

This project is possible thanks to a grant from the ISEAL Innovations Fund, which is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

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