Peru Joins Tropical Forest Alliance To Stop Tropical Deforestation And Protect Biodiversity In Amazon
The Vice president of the Republic of Peru, Mercedes Araoz, announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, that it will join the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) to work hand in hand with multinational stakeholders committed to accelerating progress for 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 forests that represent more than half of its territory. Nonetheless, deforestation of Peruvian forests generates 51 % of all greenhouse emissions of 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 Araoz, Peruvian Vice President.
Reducing tropical deforestation by addressing commodity expansion is a key area of action against global climate change. Peru has the 10th-most-forested area of any country in the world; over half the country—some 260,000 square miles—is covered in trees. This makes Peru one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with over 330,000 people who depend directly on the country’s forests for their livelihoods, and countless more who depend on the numerous product and ecosystem services those forests provide.
“It is terrific that Peru, as the world’s fourth largest rainforest nation, has joined the Tropical Forest Alliance. Teaming up with leading global agribusiness companies can help Peru reduce deforestation and become a favored investment destination for companies that want to produce commodities free of deforestation.” said Ola Elvestuen, Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment.
The Alliance will support Peru to propel action 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, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in coordination with the Ministry of the Environment are 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, CEO of the Consumer Goods Forum.