On Friday, April 9th, 2021, the STOREM project delivered an online webinar to present a case study of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia on the subject of sustainable tourism planning in the post-conflict context. The aim of the webinar was to discuss alliances between organizations of civil society and communities for sustainable development: The challenges of shared planning.
The actors involved in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Sustainable Tourism Plan (SNSM-STP) and in STOREM supporting activities discussed the context, the strategies and challenges faced during the planning process. The participation of different experts and stakeholders enabled a fruitful discussion on how to handle contextual problems and upgrade the ongoing activities. Suggestions, support and collaboration from external institutions was highlighted to be of foremost importance.
The general objective of the SNSM-STP is to promote the reduction of poverty in rural communities and the sustainable development of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, through inclusive territorial management in a post-conflict context and threats of climate change, and has identified direct beneficiaries in 900 vulnerable and indigenous rural youth in PDET and ZOMAC areas of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The consortium is made up of the National Coffee Growers Federation, the Magdalena Business Association, the Sergio Arboleda University and the Planning and Development Unit.
The webinar on April 9th was hosted by the University for International Cooperation (UCI) in Costa Rica. Modulated by Dr. Allan Valverde of UCI, the discussion brought together the knowledge of experts invited from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Italy, including Matteo Bellinzas (UPD, Colombia), Dr. Anna Pinna (UNICA, Italia), Lisa Presciani (UPD, Colombia), Isaías Urquijo-Silva (Asociación San Javier sin Fronteras, Comunidad de San Javier de la Sierra, Colombia), Dr. Freddy Vargas (UniMagdalena, Colombia) and Dr. Marko Tosic (EAFIT, Colombia). Attendees included institutions and communities involved in the activities of the SNSM-STP, as well as institutions involved in support activities for displaced and vulnerable populations. The webinar had a duration of 2 hours and was attended by an audience of over 120 participants on Zoom and Facebook Live.
To find out more about the discussion, the recorded video of the webinar is available to view on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY5FD9b5L9A
The full preliminary case study, Sustainable tourism planning in post-conflict areas: The case of Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, is available at the following link:
https://storem-erasmus-cbhe.com/project-reports/
