ACCB: Alliance of cities for the Biogeographic Chocó
2024 - Present
NACERA
UMERA
Project Team
Marcela Ángel,
PI
Angelica Mayolo,
Visiting Scholar
Manuela Manzano,
Researcher
Project Collaborators
Project collaborators include the city governments of the nine Alliance cities (Cali, Buenaventura, Tumaco, Quibdó, Guayaquil, Manta, Panama City, Colón, and Limón) as well as the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá).
Supported By
Bank of Bangkok, Thailand
A network of nine cities, spanning Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador, working collectively to conserve biodiversity, drive sustainable economic development, prevent environmental crimes, and advance climate change mitigation and adaptation across the Biogeographic Chocó.
Overview
The Alliance of Cities of the Biogeographic Chocó is the first initiative of its kind to collectively address the unprecedented challenges faced by the Biogeographic Chocó. Despite its vital role in climate change mitigation and biodiversity preservation, this mega-ecological corridor emains undervalued, underinvested, and underresearched. It currently faces a compounding crisis: over 500,000 migrants crossing the Darién annually, illegal mining activity that has increased fourteenfold contaminating water sources with mercury and heavy metals, rampant wildlife and flora trafficking, and unplanned urban growth driving ecological fragmentation and ecosystem degradation.
Bringing together nine cities, Limón, Panama City, Colón, Quibdó, Buenaventura, Cali, Tumaco, Manta, and Guayaquil, the Alliance operates around three core objectives: biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and inclusive development and social equity.
To advance these objectives, the Alliance works across six strategic lines of action. (1) strengthen governance and planning capacities to integrate Nature-Based Solutions into urban planning, prioritizing green and blue infrastructure, wetland restoration, and coastal resilience. (2) Tackle environmental crimes by integrating environmental protection into security agendas, strengthening law enforcement, and deploying early warning monitoring systems. (3) Support the transition toward sustainable value chains, including ecotourism, agroforestry, and food security initiatives, improving community access to training, markets, and financing. (4) Promote education and knowledge exchange, integrating scientific, technical, and traditional ecological knowledge while fostering environmental stewardship through schools and public awareness campaigns. (5) mobilize financial and institutional support, attracting international cooperation resources and building partnerships with universities, multilateral agencies, private investors, and community organizations. (6) The Alliance works to raise international awareness of the Biogeographic Chocó as a globally significant ecological corridor, advancing research, engaging in global forums, and building strategic communications to secure long-term support for the region.
MIT Delegation at COP16. Cali, Colombia, 2024. Credit.
From Research to Action: The Start of an Alliance within the framework of COP16
The Alliance of Cities of the Biogeographic Chocó was officially launched in October 2024 under the leadership of the City of Cali, during COP16, the Global Biodiversity Conference hosted in Cali, Colombia. The milestone event brought together cities, researchers, and policymakers, beginning with the presentation of key findings from NACERA's investigation in the Biogeographic Chocó. The launch culminated in the symbolic signing of the pact "United Cities for Biodiversity: Coalition Against Illegal Economies Affecting the Environment," marking a historic commitment to collective action for the region's ecological and social future.
Charting the Course: First Alliance Meeting in Panama City
On April 4th, 2025, the Alliance of Cities of the Biogeographic Chocó held its first official meeting in Panama City, bringing together mayors and representatives of all nine member cities. The gathering marked a pivotal step forward: member cities formally approved the Alliance's bylaws and aligned around a shared agenda prioritizing biodiversity conservation and sustainable socioeconomic development.
NACERA, serving as Technical Coordinator, presented collaborative advances and framed the common challenges facing member cities, from urban heat islands and flooding vulnerability to illegal mining, habitat loss, and inadequate environmental monitoring systems. Invited organizations reinforced the Alliance's strategic vision. GITOC's Coalition of Cities for Sustainability highlighted the systemic links between illegal economies, ecosystem degradation, and community well-being. CAF presented its BiodiverCities Network and introduced the Fund for the Biogeographic Chocó, underscoring the urgent need to attract international investment for restoration and community empowerment.
Priority projects were identified across three areas: restoring degraded areas impacted by illegal mining, advancing bioeconomy initiatives, and strengthening urban planning and green infrastructure to enhance climate resilience across the region.
Alliance of cities work notes. Cali, Colombia, 2024. Credit: Cali’s City Hall
Building Momentum: Work Meeting at Cali's First Biodiversity Week
On September 29th, 2024, the Alliance held a working meeting within the framework of Cali's First Biodiversity Week, bringing together member city mayors who each presented local environmental initiatives aligned with the Alliance's strategic priorities.
NACERA, serving as Technical Coordinator alongside OAS, UNEP, and Cali's Secretary of Education, introduced three flagship project concepts: a Source-to-Sea Urban Alliance for integrated water management, sustainable blue economy, and climate resilience, developed in partnership with OAS, MIT, and IDB; a Nature-Based Solutions initiative focused on ecological restoration and community empowerment across the Biogeographic Chocó, in partnership with UNEP and MIT; Biodiversity Curriculum for schools with emphasis on the Biogeographic Chocó, led by Cali, to promote environmental education and knowledge exchange. Next steps were defined around three fronts: a City Capacity Analysis Mechanism to identify institutional strengths and gaps and the formulation of two cooperative projects.
Member cities and international partners reaffirmed their commitment to a sustainable development model rooted in biodiversity protection, education, and bioeconomy. A joint roadmap was established to position the region and the Alliance ahead of COP30, with Manta, Ecuador, extending an invitation to host the next Mayors' Summit in the first semester of 2026.