The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development published a new draft resolution establishing guidelines for the environmental land-use planning of the Bogotá Savanna.
The document corresponds to a revised version of a draft released in early 2025, which was subject to institutional discussion within the framework of the monitoring process for compliance with the Council of State’s ruling of March 28, 2014, concerning the recovery of the Bogotá River basin. In that context, the Council of State modified a precautionary measure previously ordered by the Administrative Tribunal of Cundinamarca and determined that the Technical Secretariat of the Bogotá River Basin Strategic Council (CECH) should discuss the effects of the draft resolution. According to the new draft, this discussion took place during CECH Session No. 57, held in November 2025.
Unlike the document presented in early 2025, the new draft adopts the denomination “guidelines for the environmental land-use planning of the Bogotá Savanna,” rather than “guidelines” (lineamientos). The text states that these guidelines are issued pursuant to Article 61 of Law 99 of 1993, which recognizes the Bogotá Savanna as an area of national ecological interest, as well as the 2022–2026 National Development Plan, which provides for the formulation of environmental land-use planning instruments for this region.
The draft resolution establishes as its purpose the adoption of environmental land-use planning guidelines for the Bogotá Savanna, as an area of national ecological interest, with the aim of ensuring its ecological integrity, promoting territorial transition and resilience, strengthening climate adaptation, organizing land use around water resources, and fostering the sustainability of productive, cultural, and social activities.
The scope of application of the draft covers the area of the Bogotá Savanna. The document identifies the municipalities included within this area by reference to the location map and technical annexes that form an integral part of the proposed administrative act.
Likewise, the draft provides that the environmental guidelines defined therein must be taken into account in the formulation, review, amendment, and adoption of land-use planning instruments, and establishes that they form part of Level 1 of the hierarchy of land-use planning determinants, in accordance with Article 10 of Law 388 of 1997. In addition, the draft develops guidelines related to the ecological integrity of the Bogotá Savanna and sets out specific rules applicable to certain types of infrastructure.
The initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development arises within the context of an institutional debate regarding the scope of competencies between the national government and territorial entities in matters of land-use planning. While the Ministry grounds the issuance of the guidelines on its authority to define environmental determinants of higher hierarchical rank, pursuant to Laws 99 of 1993 and 388 of 1997, various territorial stakeholders have raised concerns regarding the practical impact of these provisions and their interaction with municipal autonomy over land-use regulation.
Finally, as a draft resolution, the document does not produce binding legal effects unless and until it is formally adopted. Nevertheless, the text provides that, once issued, the guidelines will constitute environmental determinants of land-use planning and must be taken into account in the formulation, review, amendment, and adoption of land-use planning instruments.