The Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca (CAR) immediately intervened in the Northern Thomas van der Hammen Regional Productive Forest Reserve of Bogotá, after detecting the construction of soccer fields and the irregular disposal of Construction and Demolition Waste (RCD) on a plot of land of approximately 7,500 square meters.
The operation was carried out after a citizen complaint and included the participation of a technical team from the Bogotá – La Calera regional directorate, accompanied by the National Police and Carabineros. During the inspection, the use of three yellow machines to level the land and remove blocks of grass in order to install artificial grass was evident, in addition to activities open to the public that contravened the land use of the reserve.
According to the general director of the CAR, Alfred Ballesteros Alarcón, these actions compromise the ecosystem connectivity between the Cerros Orientales, the Torca-Guaymaral wetlands, La Conejera and the Bogotá River. “These practices generate a rupture in a fundamental ecological corridor, altering the natural dynamics, affecting environmental services and the habitat of native flora and fauna,” Ballesteros explained.
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Measures and sanctions
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Bogota City
After verifying the damage, the CAR imposed several preventive measures: the immediate suspension of the activities of three sports establishments, the restriction of any activity with a massive influx of people and specific actions on the land where the use of machinery to fill and level the land for sports purposes was detected.
In addition, eight people received environmental summonses from the National Police. The environmental authority announced that it will continuously monitor the ecological corridor, whose main objective is to protect biodiversity and stop urban expansion.
Environmental impact
The intervened land had bare vegetation cover, irregular disposal of CDW and hazardous waste (RESPEL), affecting the soil, landscape and local fauna. The CAR highlighted that the correct management of these elements is essential to maintain connectivity between ecosystems and guarantee the ecological stability of the reserve, vital for the city and its environment.