La gobernanza ambiental se orienta a la armonización de procesos relacionados con la gestión del ambiente, de tal manera que sea posible la participación efectiva e integrada de los gestores públicos y los actores privados en la toma de decisiones, manejo de conflictos y construcción de consensos, encaminada al logro de gobernabilidad, construcción de capital social y sustentabilidad ambiental. Bajo el marco de las ciencias ambientales y el soporte metodológico de la Investigación Holística, se formuló un esquema de valoración para estimar el nivel de gobernanza ambiental en municipios de categoría básica, orientado a revelar su estado y carácter, mediante la evaluación del gobierno ambiental y la escala de empoderamiento social y participación ciudadana. El modelo fue aplicado a 12 municipios de Risaralda de categorías 4º a 6º, para las vigencias 2003 y 2012, con el objeto de estimar el grado de conformidad y tendencia de apropiación.Environmental governance is oriented to harmonization of processes related to environmental management to be possible effective and integrated participation of public managers and subject in decision making, conflicts management and consensus construction, aimed to achieving governance, construction of social capital and environmental sustainability. Under the framework of environmental sciences and methodological support holistic research, valuation scheme was formulated to estimated environmental guberment level in basic category municipies, oriented to disclose the status and kind by assessing the environmental governance and layover of social empowerment and citizen participation. This model was applied to 12 municipalities of Risaralda of 4th and 6th category, for the years 2003 and 2012 with the finality to estimate grade appropriation of conformity and tendency. The average Index of Local Environmental Governance, ILEG, in 2003 was 61,4%, to insufficient range (60,1-80%), only 1,4% of the low category. After 10 years, indicator increased 6,1%, for average record of 67,5%, holding on attribute of governance. In that time, all the municipalities improved their ILEG, except Santuario, Quinchía and Guática. The highest indices for 2003 was obtained by Quinchía (77,1%), Santa Rosa de Cabal (68,2%) and La Virginia (75,6%); and for 2012, Santa Rosa de Cabal (78,3%), La Virginia (75,6%) and Quinchía (73,4%); however, all of this was located in Insufficient category despite the political and legal orbit of competency is oriented to an scheme of participatory management. In that time, any municipality achieved an effective ILEG (80,1-100%), requiring strengthen responsibility and cooperation relationships among local governments and citizenship for shared management and friendly with environment. In addition, were formulated strategies aimed at strengthening local environmental governance process, through promotion of education to participation, the motivation of its exercise in the consensual agreement to implementation on the stage of environmental management. Finally, were revealed that a sufficient governance and consistent in praxis of local government can strength governability and improve social trustfulness in planning and management of environmental capital, increasing the effective practice and enabling environmental sustainability.