Abstract

ORTIZ-MORENO, Martha Lucia  and  RODRIGUES-PIRES, José Salatiel. Applying territorial and environmental legislation in Colombia's capital municipalities: a case study regarding Villavicencio. Orinoquia [online]. 2014, vol.18, n.2, pp.130-148. ISSN 0121-3709.

A municipality is responsible for defining and executing its own socioeconomic objectives in line with environmental protection; this means that environmental and zoning policy must be implemented thereby offering fundamental tools for environmental conservation and regulating countries' development. There is little national control over the scope and characteristics of municipal territorial ordering plans (TOP)/land use in mega-diverse countries like Colombia. This research was aimed analysing the application of environmental and territorial legislation in capital municipalities which are becoming metropolises, using the town of Villavicencio (Colombia) as case study. It was found that the municipalities incorporated national laws in the TOP, subordinating the application of environmental legislation to economic interests, and that supra-municipal/regional mechanisms and planning bodies are lacking. In turn, the municipalities suffer economic, administrative and technical limitations for establishing mechanisms and executing their TOP.

Keywords : Colombia; environmental policy; territorial ordering/zoning/land use; Villavicencio.

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