Business sector contributes to giving greater economic value to the forest

4 minutes

By Libelula hace 10 year

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The business sector is a key player in achieving the conservation of our tropical forests because it would contribute to a better use of their resources and generate greater economic value, which would reduce deforestation.

This was one of the main conclusions of the meeting held on Tuesday, August 25, between representatives of business associations, entrepreneurs and members of the National Forest Conservation Program for Climate Change Mitigation (PNCBMCC) of the Ministry of Environment (MINAM), within the framework of the Second Climate Action Week organized by MINAM with a view to COP 21 in France.

The purpose of the meeting was to officially present the project “Promotion of private sector involvement in forest conservation and REDD+ in Peru” promoted by MINAM's Forestry Program with the support of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

According to the economist Marco Llanos, Technical Coordinator of this project, “the response to the problems of the forest cannot only have a public perspective. A comprehensive approach and participation are needed. In this sense, the private sector completes the team to win the game against the deforestation of our forests”.

The purpose of the informative breakfast was to present the progress made by the private sector in generating sustainable business with the forest (such as carbon projects), establish lessons learned and challenges, and outline the next steps to be taken. To this end, the main conclusions of a study on the interests and motivations of the national private sector to become involved in initiatives related to climate change and specifically in forest carbon projects for mitigation were presented.

According to Libélula's study for ICRAF “Studying the Forest Carbon Market in Peru”, published with the support of WWF and presented by Javier Perla (Libélula's Sustainable Business Manager) and Marta Suber (ICRAF consultant), 63% of companies are willing to acquire credits from forestry/agroforestry projects, while 46% mentioned that a barrier to private sector participation is lack of knowledge.

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Among the goals set by the private sector involvement initiative, which is part of MINAM's Forestry Program, is the promotion of certification that guarantees production in harmony with the forest and the sustainable management of its resources.

Ofelia Harten from AFP Integra and Emma Rojas from Austral Group participated in the meeting, sharing the respective actions that their companies are taking against climate change. Adriana Quirós of Perú 2021 also participated, presenting the 7C platform as an emblematic case.

Patricia Luna of the Forestry Program highlighted the efforts being made by the Peruvian government to formulate a National Forest and Climate Change Strategy to provide a comprehensive response to the deforestation of Peru's Amazonian forests. He indicated that this proposal seeks to reduce the loss of our forests (which last year exceeded 177 thousand hectares), while at the same time trying to continue promoting private investment together with economic growth, emulating the example of Brazil. “In this task, entrepreneurs play an important role,” he stressed.

The event was closed by Vice-Minister Gabriel Quijandría, who highlighted the business participation and pointed out that now more than ever, when the economy is not going through a good period, forests can be an important engine for development, with the participation of the business sector.