Report & Conserve APP

Combat pollution and climate change facts with the creation of a digital reporting and conservation app in Jaboque wetland, Colombia.

The Jaboque wetland is a RAMSAR site and is home to more than 653 species of animals, mostly birds. Jaboque is in emergency due to contamination events that increased with the COVID-19. Pollution increased due to consumer habits and social issues neglected by local authorities. The situation is critical. The main causes are the poor waste management and illegal drainage into the wetland.

The Jaboque wetland is an important carbon sink of 148 hectares. It is essential to conserve it in order to reduce emissions and the effects of climate change in Bogotá. 

For the last 2 years I have been linked to Cambio Sostenible team. Corporación Cambio Sostenible (Sustainable Change Corporation) is a colombian non-profit organization. Its aim is to promote sustainable development to achieve social equity. We have been visualizing and reporting pollution events in Jaboque wetland. But this is not enough; failures in environmental education and civic culture increase the risk of losing wildlife. It includes migratory and endemic birds from South America such as the Bogotá Rail, Marsh Wren, Spot-flanked Gallinule, and the Subtropical Doradito.

"Report & Conserve APP" is a mobile application that is designed as an easy to use and secure technological tool. The main objective of this mobile application will be to connect communities with local authorities to report issues associated with environmental contamination. In addition, this tool will have an updated agenda of conservation activities carried out by social organizations.

Important aspects that the APP to be built will contain are:
- Simple interface
- Easy to download for IOS and ANDROID.
- Complies with national cybersecurity and personal data processing regulations.
- Contact channels linked to technical support chat.

This solution will directly impact more than 500 young people and women living near the Jaboque wetland. Currently, these are the populations most affected by wetland pollution. Young people and women are the most interested in taking care of the wetland. However, they lack the tools to do so. In addition, they are the ones who feel the most insecure in the wetland due to threats from criminals. 

Report & Conserve APP will seek to connect the voice of youth and women with local authorities, increase participation in wetland conservation and use technology as a safe means to respond to pollution events.

My team has been developing activities that enhance youth participation, capacity building and advocacy strategies for the call for climate action since 2 years ago. 

We are a team of young people passionate about the environment, talented in the use of information technologies. We believe in climate justice and human and nature's rights. Last year we executed the  "Let's rescue Jaboque" initiative. It increased the participation of 30 environmental leaders and social organizations in the visualization and reporting of direct contamination events due to solid waste and illegal drainage. Some results:

1. Increase of 90% of actions to report pollution events.

2. Creation of the environmental monitoring committee "Let's rescue Jaboque".

3. Indirect outreach to over 5,000 citizens in exposing wetland issues.

4. It has been determined that the use of information and communication technologies is essential to involve more citizens in conservation actions. In addition, the need has been identified to have a technological tool that provides updated answers to the needs of citizens and organizations interested in helping to improve the environmental conditions of the wetland.

Useful Link: https://cambiosostenible.com/r...

Thanks to the project executed "Let's rescue Jaboque", we were able to understand the needs of the population, following the next steps:

1. Community meetings: Invitation to the community to identify their needs.

2. Wetland tours: Tours to identify threats to the ecosystem.

3. Advocacy Webinars: Virtual spaces for discussion with local authorities and non-conforming communities.

4. Educational forums: Exchange of experiences with young people and organizations.

5. Elaboration of social diagnosis: Document of analysis of the community and the state of the wetland.

"Report & Conserve APP" is an innovative solution. This solution will catalyze citizen participation in the fight against pollution and climate change. This solution proposes the use of technology to increase reporting, environmental education and the conservation of fragile ecosystems such as wetlands, sources of biodiversity.

Accelerating conservation with the participation of more young people and women will allow the Jaboque wetland to fulfill its natural function of purifying pollutants, contributing to the global goals of combating climate change, reducing global warming by 0.5°C, and reducing the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.

Each impact objective will have an indicator and source of verification:

 1. Increase the quality of life of local communities with respect to the enjoyment of a healthy environment.
Indicator 1: The quality of life of local communities has increased by 40% after 6 months of using the mobile application.
Sources of verification: Perception survey before and after the solution; Audiovisual testimonials.

2. Reduce pollution events in the wetland and its surroundings.
Indicator 2. 40% reduction of pollution in the wetland after 1 year of using the mobile application.
Source of verification; Reports of citizen complaints and actions to clean and care for the wetland.
3. Increase the participation of citizens and the private sector in the care of the wetland.
Indicator 3: More than 40 partnerships with companies and social organizations committed to the dissemination of information and conservation of the wetland.
Sources of verification: Directory of allied organizations and letters of commitment.

Important aspects that the APP to be built will contain are:

- Type: Mobile Application

- Simple interface

- Easy to download for IOS and ANDROID.

- Complies with national cybersecurity and personal data processing regulations.

- Contact channels linked to technical support chat.

We plan to serve in the next year to more than 500 young people and women.In addition, we expect to indirectly impact more than 10,000 people living around the Jaboque wetland and Bogotá.

Financial barriers: Limited resources to develop technologies for social and environmental purposes.

Technical barriers: Technical resources necessary for the development and operation of the virtual application.

Cultural barriers: Risk of cultural resistance from irresponsible citizens.

Market barriers: Resources needed to publicize the tool on a large scale.

Corporación Cambio Sostenible.

I am a leader in the social inclusion area for disadvantaged youth at Cambio Sostenible.

Report & Conserve APP business model:

1. Problem identified: Citizens do not have an effective channel for reporting pollution or linking to conservation programs.

2. Purpose: Report & Conserve APP is an innovative bet that in the long term seeks to save the Jaboque wetland from pollution and climate change. In the medium term, it hopes to reduce pollution events, increase citizen participation, and improve the quality of life of local communities. In the short term, it will offer services for reporting environmental problems, scheduling conservation activities, and reporting routes.

3. Value proposition: Create a digital tool that allows young people and women from local communities to denounce acts of pollution and in turn, be informed of immediate conservation solutions. This mobile application will connect the voices of the communities with their needs for the care and protection of biodiversity to ensure the environmental sustainability of the Jaboque wetland.

4. Value chain:

-Support: Sustainable Change Corporation ( APP development software).
-Logistics (Marketing): Entities that would advertise such as Social and Corporate Responsibility companies, international NGOs and social initiatives.
- Promotion: Entities allied in the dissemination of the PPP such as Innpactia, CAR de Cundinamarca, CIVICUS, Het Actie Fonds, Community Networks of the Agency for Progressive Communications, and Wingu.

5. Key activities:

- Mobile application design
- Marketing plan
- Application operation
- Maintenance and service actions
- Delivery of periodic results

6. Cost structure:

- Cost of production - 50%.
- Marketing cost - 30%.
- Financial costs - 5%.
- Support costs - 15% 

7. Relations:

Mixed Marketing: Automated attention will be provided with the different situations and of decision of the person who interacts, also will be taken into account a personalized relationship if the person personalized if the person manifests support and support to their situation.

8. Segments: Divided into beneficiaries and customers:

- Beneficiaries: men and women, mostly 14- 28 years old belonging to organizations or community processes of the Jaboque Wetland.

- Customers: Companies and organizations committed to sustainable development interested in sponsoring the PPP with content monetization.

9. Channels: 

-Direct: Social networks, through referrals and promoted via internet.
-Outbound: Voice to voice, dissemination in strategic environmental spaces both public and private.
-Automated: This channel is used in the interaction between the consumer and the APP to invite him/her to continue in continue in contact, invite more people and even invite them to make a donation.

10. Revenue sources:

- Monetization of content with paid advertising from companies and organizations committed to sustainable development (Main).
- International subsidies
- Donations in cash and in kind from individuals and corporations.

11. Impact metrics:

Number of users registered in the APP ( 500 - 1000 per year)
Number of virtual services provided (50 per month)
Number of procedures solved with the support of the APP (80% success rate)

The technological tool is expected to be sustained by monetizing its contents with advertisements agreed with companies and entities committed to the environment, which will allow the end user to access the services by enjoying advertising in return.