Colombia
Historical archive
Published under: Solberg's Government
Publisher: Ministry of Climate and Environment
Article | Last updated: 16/04/2018
At the climate summit in Paris 30th of November 2015, Colombia, Germany, Norway and the UK announced a groundbreaking partnership to protect Colombia's rainforest.
Colombia will implement an ambitious package of cross-sectoral actions and strengthened self-governance of ethnic territories to reduce deforestation and promote sustainable development. To support that commitment, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom will contribute close to 300 million USD, primarily through results-based payments for reduced deforestation.
Halt natural forest loss
The partnership will provide significant support to help Colombia achieve its ambitious goals of zero net deforestation in the Amazon by 2020 and halting loss of all natural forest by 2030. This is the first time that three donor countries join forces in partnership with a large tropical forest country to provide funding based on verified emission reductions from deforestation.
First payment
2nd of June 2016, Germany, UK and Norway disbursed the first payment to Colombia (6 million USD), rewarding reduced emissions from deforestation in Colombia's Amazon rainforest in 2013 and 2014.
Read the joint message about the efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest from the Ambassadors of Norway, Germany and UK, published in Colombia's largest newspaper, El Tiempo.
Norway will contribute with up to 1.8 billion NOK to Colombia in the years up to 2020. The size of the payments will depend on how much Colombia manages to reduce its deforestation. Of Norway’s total contribution, 1.5 billion is reserved for payments for emission reductions. Out of this, 400 million will go to pay for emission reductions in the Colombian Amazon through Germany’s REDD Early Movers Program.
Efforts to slow deforestation will therefore be decisive if Colombia is to achieve its INDC of 20% emissions reductions below business as usual by 2030, and even help push towards its conditional target of a 30% reduction.
Cross-sectoral actions
Colombia will implement an ambitious package of cross-sectoral actions and strengthened self-governance of ethnic territories to reduce deforestation and promote sustainable development.
Under the Joint Declaration, Colombia will strengthen the self-governance of indigenous territories by supporting indigenous peoples’ own management plans, providing instruments for environmental zoning to promote ecosystem conservation and ensuring direct benefits for local communities.
Colombia has shown political will to take action to preserve the rainforest and has presented the Amazon Vision as part of this work. Norway’s contribution through Germany’s REDD Early Mover Program will support selected initiatives in the Amazon Vision, focusing on the regions of Caquetá and Guaviare, which are the departments most affected by deforestation nationwide.
The Amazon Vision focuses on good forest governance, land use planning, sustainable production of selected produce, such as milk, cocoa, coffee and rubber and strengthening the management of the indigenous territories.
According to the Joint Declaration, which was signed by the four countries in Paris on November 30, 2015, Colombia will reduce its emissions from deforestation through an ambitious package of measures to be implemented across sectors. The important measures include:
- Increasing productivity in the cattle sector by more than 30 percent and reverse the expansion of pastureland for cattle, which currently causes most of the deforestation in the Colombian Amazon.
- Strengthening the efforts against illegal logging, illegal mining and illegal cultivation.
- Increasing payments for ecosystem services to local communities in rural areas.
- Establishing 2.5 million hectares of new protected areas.
- Establishing public-private partnerships with businesses that are committed to zero deforestation.
- Strengthening indigenous sovereignty over their territories by supporting their own developing plans, assisting in land planning and ensuring continued sustainable management of their territories.
You can learn more about the REM program in Colombia here.
Relevant Documents:
Read the Joint Declaration of Intent between the four countries.
Read the Joint Press Release between Colombia, Germany, Norway and the UK.