Fabiola Zerbini, Latin American TFA Coordinator during the Implementation Dialogue opening
Villavicencio, Colombia March 2019. More than 150 companies in the agricultural, financial and livestock sector together with local and departmental governments and the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, met on March 6th and 7th in Villavicencio for the Implementation Dialogue led by TFA Tropical Forest Alliance, with the objective of visualizing and promoting the productive initiatives committed to the elimination of deforestation of the supply chains of basic products in Orinoquia and Caqueta.
“70 projects that seek to stop deforestation and contribute to the restoration of forests were presented to participate in this agenda, which demonstrates the high degree of commitment of companies in the public and private sector for the reduction of this problem in the most vulnerable region which concentrates 43% of deforestation in Colombia,” says Fabiola Zerbini, Coordinator of Tropical Forest Alliance for Latin America and highlights that “twelve projects were selected, five with influence in Caqueta and 7 in Orinoquia, with which seek to reduce deforestation in the region through undertakings of sustainable value chains of cocoa, wood, fish farming, milk and meat cattle, among others, with the common denominator that guarantee non-deforestation as an intrinsic part of them.
This Implementation Dialogue of TFA Colombia was carried out in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and its program Amazon Vision, the BioCarbon Fund Program for the Orinoquia of the World Bank, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and financed by the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Norway and the United States, and the Global Green Growth Institute-GGGI, with the purpose of accelerating the development and promotion of public-private partnerships between producers, buyers, financial institutions and organizations of civil society to fight deforestation and promote a sustainable rural development.
“For the World Bank, supporting the process of sustainable development in the Orinoquia, one of the last agricultural frontiers in the world, is a great opportunity to promote environmental management and social inclusion during a process of economic development. We are convinced that in joint work with global alliances such as TFA we can support Colombia to develop agriculture and differentiated products based on its great natural wealth, and to open new markets that are increasingly asking for products based on environmental and social sustainability ” Franka Braun, senior specialist in natural resource management at the World Bank.
The Orinoquia is a strategic region in this matter because it has a recognized potential for agricultural and forestry expansion, but at the same time an incalculable natural wealth that must be protected. On the other hand, Caqueta combines intense deforestation with the greater livestock and forestry activities of the Colombian Amazon.
According to Ideam – Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, data, in 2017 Colombia lost 219 thousand hectares of natural forest, and in less than three decades, the country has lost around 6 million hectares of natural forests. The departments of Meta and Caqueta are some of the most affected by this phenomenon.
Francisco Charry, Director of Climate Change and Risk Management of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, points out that “The Government is committed to bringing the private sector as a partner to fight deforestation. In the National Development Plan 2018-2022, we have set as a goal to sign and implement 5 Zero Deforestation Agreements with Productive Chains, of which we already have two agreements underway with the palm and cacao chains. Also, to account for approximately 134,000 new hectares in sustainable production and an accumulated reduction of 36 million tons of CO2. “
For Carolina Jaramillo, GGGI Representative in Colombia “it is imperative that productive initiatives are structured with criteria that includes profitability, social inclusion and long-term environmental sustainability, understanding as well the objectives of responsible buyers and investors, the markets that are evolving and how this will affect the supply chains over time. Our contribution is to support these initiatives and promote funding so that it reaches them more quickly.”
This dialogue is considered as a bridge to encourage legality and formality in supply chains through integration spaces among potential private sector partners, financial institutions, investors and donors, promoting the construction of successful and sustainable businesses in the regions involved.
Eliminating deforestation in production lines significantly reduces global greenhouse gas emissions, improves the lives of millions of small farmers, preserves natural habitats and protects tropical landscapes for future generations.
The Tropical Forest Alliance will be hosting its Annual Meeting 2019 in Bogota, Colombia in May 2019, co-hosted by the Government of Colombia and TFA Colombia Alliance. More information on this event here.
About the Tropical Forest Alliance:
Since 2012 TFA-Tropical Forest Alliance has promoted the increase of business and government commitments around the ZERO deforestation and mitigation of carbon gases, with 180 signed alliances, of 158 companies in 33 countries to date. In Colombia, we seek to recruit the private sector in order to meet national commitments to reduce deforestation. That is why the TFA2020 Colombia Alliance was formed, which brings together the government and more than 33 members, including companies, NGOs, multilateral entities and embassies in the country.
Of the 10 priorities of the TFA for Latin America there are six that apply to Colombia: elimination of the illegality of supplies, growth and strengthening of palm oil production, increase of sustainable programs for livestock, sustainable increase of the yield of small palm producers and cocoa, reduced conflict around rights and land tenure, and the availability of data regarding deforestation and supply chains.
Follow the TFA2020 on Twitter via @tfa2020
Read the TFA 2020’s Annual Report
Read a recent report on Innovative Replanting Financing Models for Oil Palm Smallholder Farmers in Indonesia
Read TFA report on Commodities and Forests Agenda 2020: Ten priorities to remove tropical deforestation from commodity supply chains
Read TFA 2020 report on Emerging Market Consumers and Deforestation
Read TFA 2020 report on Financing Deforestation-Free Commodities
For more information on the TFA 2020 contact sharon.anderes@weforum.org or contact us tfa2020@weforum.org
About the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia:
The Ministry, as the governing entity of environmental policy in Colombia, works to coordinate efforts that reduce and eliminate deforestation in Colombia. Part of that agenda involves the private sector with the Zero Deforestation Agreements, which have been signed with actors from the palm oil and cocoa chains; and those corresponding to meat and dairy are in process.
The MADS is the leader of the Vision Amazon Program, which seeks to reduce deforestation in the Amazon; and partner of the BioCarbon Fund Program – Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes for the Orinoquia, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Both programs have strong components for promoting and strengthening sustainable production without deforestation.
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More information about this event contact:
Giselle Díaz Bermúdez
SPR Group
Carrera 14 # 93B -29 Of. 406 | Bogotá | Colombia
Office: +57 1 287 7234
Cell: +57 310 859 5468
giselle.diaz@sprgroup.biz