Pagos por servicios ambientales en el Oriente Antioqueño. Dilemas por la transformación del territorio

La estrategia surge con el fin de proteger los servicios ecosistémicos que garantizan el funcionamiento económico de la región, sobre todo, las tensiones por el uso del agua. Sin embargo, desde una perspectiva más economicista, la estrategia es la puerta de entrada hacia dinámicas de industrialización que buscan aprovechar el potencial natural para impulsar la región hacia mercados globales como el de la madera. De este modo, surge la reflexión respecto a cómo una estrategia pensada para la conservación de un bien común termina generando transformaciones en el territorio al impulsar cambios en el uso del suelo, a la vez que dichos bienes comunes se convierten en bienes privados para los propietarios de las tierras que pueden instrumentalizarlas como parte del mercado.

Within the logic of economical, the concerns in the environment has taken increasing interest. As a result of the attention and preservation measures that have been implemented not only in Colombia but also, in the world; the value of environmental services that come from the natural wealth of the territories, (forests, watersheds, biodiversity, among others) and is acquiring a price within the framework of governmental and legislative actions that aim to preserve them. This article analyzes some of the discussions that have been supported in the implementation of Payments for Environmental Services – PSA. From an ecological perspective, the strategy arises in order to protect the ecosystem services that guarantee the functioning of the economic processes of the region, above all, tensions over the use of water. However, from a more economic perspective, the strategy is the gateway to new industrialization processes that seek to take advantage of the natural potential to drive the region towards global markets such as timber. In this way, the reflection arises regarding how a strategy designed for the conservation of a common good, ends up generating transformations in the territory by promoting changes in land use, as well as said common goods that turn into private goods for the landowners who can instrumentalize them as part of the market.