Landscape and Resource Management to Increase Carbon Reserves in Central America (REDD+ Landscape / CCAD-GIZ) Initial Situation Central America covers only 0.5% of the earth's surface, but it is home to approximately 8% of the world's biodiversity. Additionally, it is one of the tropical regions most affected by climate change. The high population growth in the region, combined with poverty and weak political structures, has exerted pressure on the existing forest resources. Agricultural initiatives have been increasingly linked with natural forests, and further solutions and approaches are needed for the ecosystems and agricultural areas that border the forests. All of these factors together have led to a drastic reduction in forest surface area. Given these trends, negotiations are currently underway in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to debate the extent to which economic and institutional incentives can be generated for the reduction of emissions from deforestation and environmental degradation. Despite interest expressed by different countries, there is still a lack of appropriate framework conditions for the effective implementation of compensation mechanisms for the reduction of CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Program Name
Landscape and Resource Management to Increase Carbon Reserves in Central America (REDD+ Landscape / CCAD-GIZ
Contracter:
German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB)
Program Region
Central America
Implementing Organization
Deutsche Gesellschaft fĂźr Internationale Zusammentarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Duration
4 years (2014 - 2017)
Strategy The program contributes to planning new forms of land use for agriculture and forest exploitation in order to increase carbon reserves. These actions will produce emissions reduction as a result of avoided deforestation and carbon enrichment. The establishment and expansion of financing mechanisms for ecosystem services enables compensation payments for land users who employ sustainable and silvicultural methods, thus improving their long-term income.
Partners and Allies
Objective The objective of the program is the reconstruction of forest resources in landscapes within the framework of the REDD+ approach in Central America. The program also seeks to improve the environmental services of the region in the context of Forest Landscape Restoration efforts.
The program is executed under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) of the Federal Republic of Germany. The political counterpart for the project is the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), which is part of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
Photographies description: Left: chain of volcanoes in Guatemala, volcanoes Santiaguito and Santa Maria. Credit: Sergio Izquierdo. Central: Artisanal fisherman in La Libertad, El Salvador. Credit: Omar Carbonero. Right: Dawn in Nosara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Credit: Sergio Pucci.