CAF presents its Forests program for the region

In order to strengthen the development of the forestry sector and the conservation of forests through the implementation of the green economy, CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, presented the Forests program for the region in Ecuador, to promote low in carbon economies which are resilient to climate change, with social inclusion, in its member countries.  

Lorena Sanchez, Acting Minister of the Environment, accompanied Enrique Garcia, CAF's Executive President during the presentation of the program. Garcia expressed, "The region has the greatest reserves of natural tropical forests in the world, with 57 percent of the world's surface of primary forests. There is a very serious responsibility regarding their conservation". 

 (International Development Financial Club) of which it is a member. The Executive President added, "there is a strong conviction regarding this matter". 

The Forests program is structured by five components: 1) reduction of emissions resulting from avoided deforestation and forest degradation, 2) green businesses with non-timber yielding products, 3) restoration and recovery of tired and degraded soils, 4) recovery of urban forests and restoration of green spaces, and 5) improvement of the eco-efficiency of the forestry industry. The program has CAF financing and the support of other strategic partners, private enterprises, and governments. 

One of the challenges of the region is to improve the sustainable management of natural forests with the active participation of the populations that live in the forests or its neighboring areas, through financing of entrepreneurships that enable a reduction of poverty and improvement of the quality of life. 

The program will propose the introduction of new technologies in the forestry industry to achieve better results in production and, progressively, migrate toward a green economy. This will promote the forestry sector in order to support the diversification of Latin America's productive matrix.