Governance Model From the VUCA Perspective: Proposal for the Department of Quindío (Colombia)

Introduction

The Republic of Colombia (commonly referred to as simply ‘Colombia’) was one of the three (3) countries that emerged after the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). Located in Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama, Colombia’s territory expands to a total of 2.070.408 Km2, comprising all types and kinds of surfaces, high mountains, foothills, valleys, deserts, seas, and coasts, thus making Colombia one of the 5 countries with greatest biodiversity in the whole world. (Rincón-Ruiz et al., 2014).

As stated priorly, Colombia is one of the world's “megadiverse” countries, hosting close to 10% of the planet's biodiversity. In 2013, Colombia became the first country to record a landmark 1,900 species of birds—a figure that continues to increase every year. The country has nearly 20 percent of the world's total avian species, including 200 migratory species, 87 threatened birds, and 79, sadly, endemics. (Chaparro et al., 2013).

“Administratively, Colombia is a divided into 32 departments, which in turn are divided into municipalities, departmental districts (departments), or districts. Within this territorial organization, there is an intermediate territorial division between department and municipality, called provinces or subregions.” (Ramírez & De Aguas, 2016, p. 11).

Amongst the Colombian departments, there is one known as Quindío, located in the west-central region of the country in the Andean region and an integral part of what is known as “Eje Cafetero”, the Colombian coffee belt. Bordering with Risaralda to the north, Tolima to the south and east, and Valle del Cauca to the west, Quindío’s capital city is Armenia, and it is considered a harbinger of the “cultura paisa.” (Gobernación del Quindío, 2020). The Science Center of the Botanical Garden of Quindío states that within its 15 hectares there are 176 bird species registered, constituting 33% of those in the department’s total. What’s more, Quindío’s landscape entails a high degree of biodiversity thus allowing the presence of different adequate habitats for different types of avian life, that coexist in 49,744 protected hectares and 22,412 hectares of strategic ecosystems, which are composed of moorlands with 19,083 hectares, tropical dry forests with 144 hectares and wetlands with 3,185 hectares (Jardín Botánico del Quindío, 2022).

The proposed National Development Plan for the current presidency contemplates utilizing Colombia’s evident advantages in terms of biodiversity and harnessing them into competitive advantages, consolidating Colombia as a key global player in the pursuit of alternative economic schemes such as bio-tourism, where bird watching will be obviously included, allowing the Colombian economy to gradually step away from the exploration and exploitation of fossil fuels, hence attaining a much desired fossil fuel substitution (Government of Quindío, 2020).

In consequence, the 2019 Mission of Wise Men and Women, defined the country’s biodiversity as a fundamental pillar for the nation's progress along the lines of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, thence ratifying Goal 15 of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which promulgates the need to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land segregation and halt the loss of biological biodiversity (Minciencias, 2029).