FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Davos – 22 January 2019
Summary
- Peru has 69 million hectares of forest, the second-largest acreage of Amazonian forest after Brazil
- Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, in coordination with the Ministry of the Environment, is joining the Tropical Forest Alliance to promote public-private partnerships for deforestation-free agriculture
- Agriculture is the main cause of deforestation in Peru; the government aims to reduce deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon by 30% by 2030
- Read more about the Tropical Forest Alliance at tfa2020.org
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 22 January 2019 – On the opening day of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Mercedes Aráoz, Vice-President of the Republic of Peru, announced that Peru’s government will join the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) to work with multinational stakeholders to accelerate progress on sustainable management of forests and decrease carbon emissions. TFA is a global public-private partnership to drive action towards deforestation-free supply chains, hosted at the World Economic Forum.
Peru has approximately 69 million hectares of forest, which represents more than half of its territory. Deforestation of these forests generates 51% of all greenhouse emissions in the country. To halt deforestation, the government has presented Four core strategies to fight deforestation with the objective to reduce deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon by 30% by 2030.
“As the country with the second-largest extent of tropical forest in the Amazon, we are conscious of the global importance of forest conservation and of the consequences of climate change for people who live in and depend on forests. Peru has several pilot projects underway with one of the core strategies being sustainable agricultural production. For this reason, the Peruvian government is joining forces with key national and international actors to reduce commodity-driven deforestation and support sustainable rural development to reduce deforestation linked to supply chains in the country. As a public-sector partner of the Tropical Forest Alliance, we hope to catalyse more strategic partnerships,” said Mercedes Aráoz, Vice-President of the Republic of Peru.
Reducing tropical deforestation by addressing commodity expansion is a key area for action against global climate change. Peru is the 10th-most-forested country and is considered one of the most biodiverse; over half the country – some 260,000 square miles – is covered in trees. More than 330,000 people depend directly on the country’s forests for their livelihood, and countless more depend on the numerous product and ecosystem services those forests provide.
The Alliance will support Peru towards fulfilling the objectives outlined in the Joint Declaration to Reduce Deforestation, signed with Norway and Germany in September 2014, which contribute directly to the achievement of its National Determined Contribution in the Paris Agreement. In this context, Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, in coordination with the Ministry of the Environment, is promoting public-private partnerships with multinational companies and civil society organizations committed to deforestation-free agriculture.
“It’s vital that the public and private sectors join forces to protect our forests and we’re delighted that Peru is now joining the Tropical Forest Alliance. The members of the Consumer Goods Forum are working to help eliminate deforestation from the world’s supply chains and we look forward to partnering with Peru in our work, along with many other governments and stakeholders,” said Peter Freedman, Managing Director of Consumer Goods Forum, France.
Latin America has great potential for deforestation-free commodities development. TFA partners have engaged initiatives in Brazil and Colombia due to the relevance of their natural, political and economic capital. Progress has been made, but more still needs to be done to reach the global climate goals. This rapid deceleration will be possible only if the governments, farm holders, rural and indigenous communities, businesses and civil societies of tropical forest regions devise and implement effective strategies.
Kurt Holle, Director of WWF Peru, said: “The future of the planet depends on our joint ability to both protect and restore forests at unprecedented scale, while simultaneously increasing sustainable agricultural production to meet growing global needs. We believe that, if governments, companies and civil society work together to protect the environment, different voices can be heard, and the impact of commitments of deforestation-free supply chains on climate, biodiversity and economic opportunity could be truly transformational. We welcome and applaud Peru for joining the Alliance.”
“By joining the Tropical Forest Alliance, Peru sends a strong signal that the government is committed to partnering with the private sector and civil society towards sustainable production and deforestation-free commodity supply chains. We are thrilled that Peru will champion and work with the TFA community to amplify attention for forests. An improved understanding of the commodities and forest agenda will be essential for building on synergies and minimizing trade-offs between sustainable food production, biodiversity conservation and livelihoods,” said Justin Adams, Director of the Tropical Forest Alliance.
“We are delighted that Peru is joining the Tropical Forest Alliance hosted at the World Economic Forum, adding to the public-private undertakings launched earlier in Colombia and Brazil to further the sustainable management of the Amazonian forests and to decrease carbon emissions, while driving efforts to achieve deforestation-free supply chains,” said Marisol Argueta, Head of Latin America and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum.
The Tropical Forest Alliance counts over 150 the public and private partners with the mission of mobilizing all actors to collaborate in reducing commodity-driven tropical deforestation and to actively engage in advancing the forest conservation agenda.
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Notes to editors:
Notes to Editors
Watch live webcasts of sessions and get more information about the event at http://wef.ch/sdi18
Follow the TFA2020 on Twitter via @tfa2020
Read a recent TFA 2020 report on Emerging Market Consumers and Deforestation
Read a TFA 2020 report on Financing Deforestation-Free Commodities
About TFA
The Tropical Forest Alliance is a global platform for public-private cooperation, working to help organizations achieve their deforestation-free commitments. The mission of TFA aims to help producers, traders, and buyers of forest- risk commodities achieve their commitments to deforestation-free supply chains. It also helps governments of tropical forest countries to realize better growth through sustainable rural development in partnership with civil society and indigenous peoples. TFA works by convening stakeholders at the global and regional level to form partnerships, which are designed to transform land use practices and supply chains.
Download Press Release: AM19 Peru Joins Tropical Forest Alliance.
More information contact, Sharon Anderes, Communications and Campaigns Lead, Tel.: +14 22 786 2744, Email: shan@weforum.org