Loja approves ordinance regulating urban trees and green infrastructure

The Autonomous Decentralized Municipal Government of the Loja Canton has approved Ordinance No. 0082-2026, which regulates the use, maintenance, preservation, and increase of green infrastructure and urban forestry, recognizing trees as a fundamental part of the urban ecological system. The regulation was published in Special Edition No. 1623 of the Official Registry, consisting of 105 pages, dated Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

The ordinance declares the establishment, conservation, management, and increase of trees in urban and rural areas to be of public interest, prioritizing native species of the canton. Its scope of application extends to all natural and legal persons, public or private, who may affect the green infrastructure and forestry in public and private spaces of the urban area, acting supplementarily in peri-urban and rural areas.

Competencies and Municipal Management

The Municipal Directorate of Environmental Management shall be the competent body for the protection, conservation, management, and increase of forestry, as well as for issuing pruning and felling authorizations. The Municipal Commissariat of Environment and Mining shall exercise sanctioning power, and the Planning Directorate and the Public Works Directorate shall intervene regarding technical criteria and territorial planning.

The regulation repeals articles 375 to 382 of Ordinance 038-2021 and establishes a regime of special cutting permits (PEC), with procedures for technical evaluation, inspection, and environmental replacement. It also creates the “Green Footprint” project, which requires the implementation of green infrastructure in establishments carrying out economic activities in the canton.

Financing and Municipal Green Fund

The ordinance creates an annual fee for the maintenance, conservation, improvement, afforestation, and revegetation of green areas, parks, plazas, gardens, trails, streets, and avenues, which will be settled along with the Urban and Rural Property Tax. The resources will be allocated to a Municipal Green Fund, managed in a bank account authorized by the Central Bank of Ecuador, with a specific purpose and a prohibition on diversion.

• Urban properties: fee between 0.60% and 10% of the Unified Basic Remuneration (RBU), according to appraisal brackets.
• Rural properties: fee between 0.40% and 8% of the RBU.
• Progressivity factor for high appraisals (FPAA) for properties exceeding USD 1,000,000.
• Exemptions for public institutions of education, health, security, and environmental management.

Incentives and Sanctioning Regime

Incentives for co-responsibility are established, including a reduction of up to 10% of the urban property tax for properties that maintain trees in good condition, the “Green Property” or “Urban Tree Guardian Neighbor” certification, and the “Golden Tree” decoration, awarded annually on May 22, National Tree Day.

Infractions are classified as minor, serious, and very serious, with fines of 0.75, 2, and 3 RBU respectively, plus full reparation to Nature. Environmental compensation requires the planting of 15 trees for every tree felled or damaged, and 5 trees when dealing with an exotic specimen. Actions for environmental damage are imprescriptible, and the principle of in dubio pro natura is applied.

The regulation responds to the ruling of the Judge of the Civil Judicial Unit of Loja, dated June 22, 2022, which ordered the municipality to regulate the felling of trees on the banks of the Malacatos River, and aligns with the Loja Canton Climate Action Plan 2035, developed by GIZ Ecuador, which indicates that 63.16% of the population believes it should not take more than 20 minutes walking to reach a park with green areas. With this ordinance, Loja reinforces its commitment to climate resilience, public health, and the rights of Nature, in a canton that is part of one of the five megadiverse countries of Latin America.

Source: Official Registry of Ecuador, Special Edition No. 1623, September 9, 2026, 105 pages (official reference: Ordinance No. 0082-2026).