Rodrigo Botero García is a zootechnician from the National University of Colombia with a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development of Agricultural Systems, agrarian and environmental sciences from the Javeriana University. He has focused his professional work on promoting intersectoral territorial planning strategies for environmental management, facilitating the articulation between authorities at different levels, social organizations and indigenous peoples, among other actors.
At the head of the Territorial Direction of the Amazon – Orinoquia Region of the National Natural Parks between 2000 and 2010, he managed the constitution of protected areas in coordination with the National Agency of Hydrocarbons. In the framework of different peace policies over the last twelve years, and from the direction of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development for the last eight years, Rodrigo Botero has promoted planning processes of the transport sector in ecologically sensitive areas, as well as initiatives for the formalization of property in the Amazon, the substitution of illicit crops and the installation of agri-environmental programs for the inhabitants such as community forestry. It has also contributed to strengthening indigenous traditional natural resource management systems, as well as their capacity for dialogue with institutions. One of its greatest strengths is the innovative use of Geographic Information Systems for the analysis of socio-environmental conflicts, early warnings, deforestation monitoring and modeling of future scenarios; information that it makes available to decision-makers and exercises of social control of the territory.