On February 5, 2026, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (“MADS”) issued Resolution 0083 of 2026, which unifies low environmental impact activities that generate social benefits and may be carried out within forest reserve areas without the need to undertake a prior excision procedure.

This decision responds to the need identified by MADS to update and consolidate the existing regulatory framework by integrating into a single administrative act the provisions previously contained in Resolutions 1527 of 2012 and 1274 of 2014, which are repealed with the issuance of this new regulation. Through this unification, the Ministry seeks to provide greater regulatory clarity, legal certainty, and coherence in the environmental management of these strategic territories.

The resolution acknowledges that certain activities, by their nature and scope, do not compromise the conservation objectives of forest reserves and, on the contrary, contribute to the sustainable development of the communities that inhabit them. Accordingly, the new regulatory framework incorporates activities related to isolated rural housing, basic public services, social infrastructure, peasant and community-based agriculture, renewable energy, connectivity, risk management, ecological restoration, among others.

Likewise, the Resolution establishes conditions for the development of these activities, which are set forth in its third article and are aimed at ensuring ecosystem protection and proper risk management. These conditions include restrictions on the opening of new roads or access routes, respect for water protection buffers, water sources, and critical slopes, as well as the obligation to comply with management plans and regulations applicable to strategic ecosystems such as páramos and wetlands.

The regulation also establishes mandatory environmental management measures and information obligations before the competent environmental authorities, to ensure that the execution of the activities is carried out in a controlled, responsible manner and in harmony with ecosystems, without exempting interested parties from complying with the applicable environmental permits.

This regulation seeks to ensure an integrated environmental management framework that connects forest conservation with sustainable social and economic development, while reinforcing environmental governance and promoting responsible territorial use.