Exploring the local nexus between human development and environmental sustainability: a case study from Colombia

Abstract Evaluating the local nexus between human development (HD) and environmental sustainability (ES) can guide and inform policy and planning. This evaluation is particularly relevant in tropical countries, characterised by interactions among high biodiversity, monetary poverty, social inequalities, and environmental degradation. The aim of this paper is to analyse the HD–ES nexus across various municipalities in Colombia, situating the analysis within broader socio-economic structural patterns. We investigate the local diversity of the HD–ES nexus by creating a typology of municipalities, using selected and available socio-economic and environmental indicators through the combination of principal component analysis and non-hierarchical clustering analysis. Subsequently, we compare these municipal typologies against broader socio-economic structural variables by using regression analyses to better contextualise the diversity of local HD–ES nexus. We identify five distinct HD–ES types, including ‘Developed Degraded’, ‘Moderate Degraded’, ‘Poor Degraded’, ‘Moderate Modified’, and ‘Marginalised Preserved’. The location, characteristics, and context of these types are closely associated with the main geographical regions in Colombia, which also reflect the major settlement and development processes, including demographics, economic structure, accessibility, local government capacity, and armed conflict. We discuss how this diversity reflects the complexity in the interactions within this nexus, and the necessity for more targeted policy and planning to monitor and address these challenges. We suggest potential avenues for future research in balancing local human development and environmental sustainability in tropical countries.