Pollinators as Economic Partners: An Interview with ICLEI Colombia on Nature-Positive Urban Development
18th August, 2025
A conversation between Tatiana Ramos from ICLEI Colombia and the GoNaturePositive! initiative
GoNaturePositive!: Welcome, Tatiana. Could you start by telling us about ICLEI Colombia's work and your connection to the Pollinators Network of the Aburrá Valley?
Tatiana Ramos: Thank you for having me. ICLEI Colombia is part of the global network of Local Governments for Sustainability, working to support cities and local governments in implementing sustainable development practices. Our focus is on providing technical assistance, generating knowledge, and promoting policies that help communities transition toward more sustainable and resilient futures.
The Pollinators Network of the Aburrá Valley represents one of our most innovative collaborative initiatives. This network brings together public, private, and community actors across the metropolitan area of Medellín to protect pollinator species that are essential for both food production and the balance of urban and rural ecosystems. It's a perfect example of how urban planning can integrate biodiversity considerations into economic development strategies.
GoNaturePositive!: That integration of urban planning and biodiversity is crucial. What does a nature-positive economy mean for your sector, and what is one concrete step your organisation is taking (or recommends) to support it?
Tatiana Ramos: A nature-positive economy recognizes the fundamental value of ecosystems and promotes economic decisions that regenerate, restore, and conserve biodiversity. For the Pollinators Network of the Aburrá Valley, this means protecting pollinators - key species for food production and the balance of both urban and rural ecosystems - by integrating them into public policies, urban planning, and production models.
ICLEI Colombia supports the strengthening of initiatives like the Pollinators Network by providing technical assistance to local governments, generating knowledge, and promoting policies that incorporate nature-based solutions. One key step we are taking is facilitating coordination spaces among public, private, and community actors to foster concrete actions that benefit both biodiversity and local economic development.
GoNaturePositive!: The coordination aspect sounds complex but essential. How do you bring together such diverse stakeholders around pollinator protection?
Tatiana Ramos: It requires creating spaces where different actors can see how their interests align around pollinator health. For municipal governments, it's about urban green infrastructure and food security. For private sector partners, it might be about sustainable agriculture practices or corporate sustainability goals. For communities, it's often about local food production and green spaces.
Our role is to facilitate these conversations and help stakeholders understand that pollinator protection isn't just an environmental issue - it's an economic necessity. When you consider that pollinators contribute to about one-third of global food production, protecting them becomes a clear economic priority that crosses all sectors.
GoNaturePositive!: Looking at the policy landscape, how do current policies support or hinder your sector's efforts toward nature-positivity?
Tatiana Ramos: Current policies in Colombia increasingly support nature-positive efforts by recognising the importance of biodiversity and nature-based solutions in urban and territorial planning. Tools such as the National Pollinators Strategy, local biodiversity action plans, and most recently the Green Cities Law provide a legal and policy framework to promote more sustainable and ecologically sound development in cities.
However, challenges remain in implementation. Limited financial resources, weak inter-institutional coordination, and short-term political agendas can hinder progress. To advance a truly nature-positive economy, it is essential to strengthen local governance capacities, ensure long-term funding, and embed biodiversity considerations across all sectors.
GoNaturePositive!: You mentioned the Green Cities Law - how has this recent legislation changed the landscape for urban biodiversity initiatives?
Tatiana Ramos: The Green Cities Law has been transformative because it provides a legal mandate for cities to integrate nature-based solutions into their planning processes. It's not just about creating parks anymore - it's about understanding cities as ecosystems where human activities and natural processes need to work together.
For pollinator networks specifically, this law enables cities to justify investments in green corridors, urban gardens, and pollinator-friendly landscaping as essential infrastructure, not just nice-to-have amenities. It shifts the conversation from environmental protection as a cost to biodiversity as a municipal service that supports economic development.
“A nature-positive economy recognises the fundamental value of ecosystems and promotes economic decisions that regenerate, restore, and conserve biodiversity. For the Pollinators Network of the Aburrá Valley, this means protecting pollinators - key species for food production and the balance of both urban and rural ecosystems - by integrating them into public policies, urban planning, and production models.”
GoNaturePositive!: How do you measure the success of initiatives like the Pollinators Network? What indicators tell you that nature-positive approaches are working?
Tatiana Ramos: We track both ecological and socioeconomic indicators. On the ecological side, we monitor pollinator population health, diversity of native species, and the connectivity of green corridors across the metropolitan area. We also measure the area of pollinator-friendly habitats created through urban planning initiatives.
From an economic perspective, we look at local food production supported by pollinators, the number of businesses adopting pollinator-friendly practices, and the economic value generated through sustainable agriculture and ecotourism activities connected to biodiversity conservation.
But perhaps most importantly, we measure institutional capacity - how many local governments have integrated pollinator considerations into their planning processes, and how effectively different sectors are collaborating on nature-positive initiatives.
GoNaturePositive!: What role do you see initiatives like GoNaturePositive! playing in advancing nature-positive urban development across Latin America and beyond?
Tatiana Ramos: GoNaturePositive! provides exactly the kind of knowledge exchange platform that cities need to accelerate their sustainability transitions. Urban challenges around biodiversity and economic development are remarkably similar across different contexts, but cities often lack opportunities to learn from each other's innovations.
Through GoNaturePositive!, we can share our experience with pollinator networks while learning about urban biodiversity initiatives being developed in other regions. This kind of peer-to-peer learning is essential for scaling up nature-positive practices across the urban sector.
GoNaturePositive!: Finally, what advice would you give to other cities or regions looking to develop their own nature-positive economic initiatives?
Tatiana Ramos: Start by identifying the ecosystem services that are already supporting your local economy, even if they're not formally recognized. Every city depends on natural processes - water purification, climate regulation, pollination - but these often remain invisible in economic planning.
Create spaces for different sectors to discover their shared dependence on these services. When businesses, governments, and communities understand their common interest in ecosystem health, collaboration becomes much easier. And don't underestimate the power of starting with concrete, visible projects like pollinator gardens or green corridors - these create momentum for broader policy changes.
Most importantly, recognize that nature-positive development isn't about constraining economic growth - it's about building more resilient and sustainable foundations for long-term prosperity.
GoNaturePositive!: Thank you, Tatiana, for sharing these insights. ICLEI Colombia's work with the Pollinators Network demonstrates how urban planning can truly integrate biodiversity and economic development.
Tatiana Ramos: Thank you. We're excited to continue learning and sharing through initiatives like GoNaturePositive! as we work toward cities that serve both people and pollinators.
This interview was conducted as part of GoNaturePositive!'s ongoing series exploring pathways toward a nature-positive economy. For more insights on urban biodiversity and nature-based solutions, view the urban development sectoral brief. Learn more about ICLEI at https://iclei.org/network_city/city-of-columbia-sc/ and GoNaturePositive! at gonaturepositive.eu