Countries work on a joint agenda with nature-based solutions. Presentation at COP25

San José, Costa Rica, December 10, 2019. Today Central America raises its voice and speaks to the world during COP25, which is working on a joint agenda with nature-based solutions that include biodiversity and people, to achieve real mitigation against climate change.

This leadership was highlighted today in the event “The 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica: an alliance between governments, indigenous peoples, and civil society”, organised by EUROCLIMA+, with the participation of the Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, to discuss the initiative of the Central American countries to protect this expanse of forests through an alliance between governments, indigenous peoples, and civil society.

“As a Central American, I feel terribly proud that we include climate, biodiversity and people in the same sentence,” Rodríguez said.

The region has been forging nature-based solutions that have been underestimated for years, but it is time for us to guarantee full rights over the territory, land, natural resources and the lands of our indigenous and farming peoples.

With respect to Mesoamerica’s 5 Great Forests project, the Minister highlighted that these forests are the region's carbon sinks, biodiversity reserves and freshwater supplies, and above all they are vital for development. That is why we must protect them, because not doing so means compromising the future of Central Americans by losing their natural capital.

“In order to protect them, we need greater policy coherence from governments. Even though we have environmental ministers committed to protecting these five large forest masses, some sectors of the region think that by doing what we have always done, generating the same deforestation as always, we are going to prosper”.

In Rodríguez's opinion, the next few years should be used to reverse deforestation processes and use Central America's vast forests and biodiversity to become a region more resilient to climate change.

In addition, Costa Rica reiterated the country's position that this is the best way to recognise the rights of indigenous and farming communities over land and natural resources for greater prosperity and progress.

The event closed with a forum on “Community Financial Mechanisms for Forests, Territories and Peace,” which recognises that forests are 30% of the solution to climate change, but they receive only 2% of the funding.

The activity, organised by EUROCLIMA+, was attended by the Ministers of Environment of the Region under the CCAD-SICA umbrella, and indigenous representatives were also present.

Source: press of the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica.

Link to photos at: https://bit.ly/2qIt1I2 

For more information: https://bit.ly/2PuAlzn