Ecuador sets climate milestone with 700,000 hectares of sustainable forests in 10 years
Quito, (EFE).
More than 700,000 hectares of protected natural forests under sustainable management are the result of a decade of policies aimed at keeping trees standing and providing sustainable livelihoods for their people in Ecuador, which was presented at the COP30 global climate change summit as an example to follow in environmental conservation.
Ten years after the signing of the historic Paris Agreement, with deforestation as the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, Ecuador now has 705,639 hectares under conservation, 353,782 hectares under sustainable forest management, 36,080 hectares restored, and more than 100,000 hectares with sustainable production systems.
Ecuador achieved these figures through the REDD+ Forests for Good Living Action Plan. The results, which have benefited 3.8 million people in these areas, were presented by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment and Energy at an event held on Thursday at the Quito Botanical Gardens.
The event also highlighted the progress made within this plan by the ProAmazonía program and the Payment for Results (PPR) project. As a result, Ecuador has positioned itself as a pioneer and global benchmark in deforestation-free agricultural and livestock production (without further forest loss), with products such as coffee, cocoa, milk, and guayusa, as well as in the restoration of deforested and degraded areas.
The project, led by the Environment and Energy and Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock ministries, with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), contributed nearly 118,000 hectares of forests under conservation, 15,600 hectares under sustainable forest management, and almost 3,600 hectares restored.
It also succeeded in legalizing nearly 19,000 hectares as protective forests belonging to the Shuar indigenous people, implementing traceability systems for producers, and creating sustainable agribusiness centers to strengthen local associations.
In addition, value chains were strengthened through initiatives such as national and international trade agreements for the export of products. In the case of coffee, Italian company Lavazza bought beans for an exclusive origin line.
Ecuador, a global benchmark
For Inka Mattila, UNDP representative in Ecuador, the country is “a global benchmark in deforestation-free production of various products.”
Countries such as Ethiopia, Vietnam, Peru, Costa Rica, and Honduras look to Ecuador as a success story in accelerated transition. This is thanks to the implementation of a combination of “very interesting” elements, with Amazonian communities as “major players.”
The secret, according to Mattila, lies in doing something different and maintaining the indigenous worldview. This has made it possible to transform realities and change lives by putting “people and their well-being at the center,” with an emphasis on local governance and forest management.
“Solutions and actors have been integrated in a very innovative way,” explained the UNDP representative, as well as stressing the importance of South-South cooperation.
National commitments and local needs
The undersecretary for climate change at the Ecuadorean Ministry of the Environment, Jessica Gallegos, told EFE that working with provincial and municipal governments made it possible to ground national public policy in the territories. This resulted in updated land use plans, life projects with indigenous peoples, use and conservation agreements, and land legalization processes.
One of the great challenges was explaining to local producers that it was necessary to change the way things were done. For this, field schools were established for training. If producers were asked to change a practice, they were also provided the tools to improve production.
