Peru aims to have “zero deforestation” by 2021
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The Minister of the Environment, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, said that Peru aims to achieve the goal of “zero deforestation” by 2021, for which it is implementing a policy with various measures to achieve a balance between tree felling and reforestation.
“There is a goal that Peru set in 2009 and that is what we are working towards: that by 2021 we will have zero deforestation, it is a net goal, that is, that what is deforested is replaced,” he said.
The minister participated in the inauguration of the international workshop on sustainable development and forests, where he indicated that this topic will be addressed at the next world summit on climate change COP20, in which more than 15,000 people from 195 countries will participate.
Pulgar-Vidal indicated that the historically accumulated deforestation in Peru is around 9 million hectares in the Amazon; while estimates place the annual deforestation rate at 120,000 hectares.
He also said that the three causes of deforestation of the country's Amazon forests are illegal mining, which also pollutes; agriculture produced by migration (the most important); and illegal logging, which, although it does not have a significant impact, is associated with mafias and depredation of fine species such as cedar and mahogany.
To combat deforestation, he pointed out that his portfolio's initiative led to the approval of the Ecosystem Services Law, which recognizes that forests and watersheds provide services that must be compensated.
He recalled that the Ministry of Environment recently issued an inventory on the «stock» of carbon deposited in forests, called “forest flight”.
Another fundamental measure, he said, is the regulatory work of the Forestry Law being carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor).
He also pointed out that Peru signed a letter of intent with the government of Norway during the UN climate summit held on September 23 in New York, which should represent US$300 million in donations to meet certain proposed goals.
“We also have a set of measures that have to do with the value of standing forest and everything that Peru is doing in this new mechanism, called Reducing Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation (REDD),” he added.
Finally, he considered it necessary to be careful with land titles and land use changes approved at the regional government level, because in some cases it has been proven that they are not carried out properly and therefore it is urgent to correct these aspects.
“The forest will have a value, not only because of carbon credits, but also because it protects culture, biodiversity, legal security and provides benefits to the inhabitants, and the forest will continue to be important in the climate debate, sustainability and the green economy,” he said.
Sources:
Andina
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