A quarter of the world's population survives on forest resources, including thousands of Colombians. What do to keep them at the same time economic benefit? Four Colombian experts met to "throw power" on the subject.
By: Lisbeth Fog
Close your eyes for a moment and think of a forest. Look carefully at the trees, and each stop on their leaves, bark, animals up and down the trunk or jumping on branches. Even remember the colors, smells, textures. You've been in the middle of a forest.
Now talel. I needed fuel, plant potatoes or build a bed. But there is no forest. It's over. Finito. What do you see in this area? Even if thought of a mangrove forest, what happened? What about now? Or rather, what is not?
The United Nations has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests, to promote conservation and proper management of these ecosystems contain 80% of global biodiversity, are home to 300 million people , and a quarter of the world's population depends for their livelihoods. It is also known that every year 13 million hectares deforested in Globally, more or less equivalent to the area they occupy in Colombia's national parks.
Why disappear? Over-exploitation and illegal logging, to grow or get livestock to collect wood or to build settlements, roads, bridges, dams, for improper management of land, mining and exploitation of oil, forest fires and air pollution.
And now that the world is concerned about climate change, the role of forests to absorb carbon dioxide, CO2 is more important. The process of deforestation due to 20% of global CO2 emissions. From four different banks, the viewer starts the year raising the discussion on forests.
From international cooperation
Since more than a couple of years, speaks strongly of a plan for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries has been called REDD. This is an effort to create economic value of carbon stored in forests and provide incentives countries that host them. REDD + goes further: it includes the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable forest management.
Three organizations of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Environment (UNEP) and FAO, with support from Norway, Denmark and Spain, countries that have donated nearly $ 100 million, have formed an international alliance to promote the initiative.
A Colombian Santiago Carrizosa, UNDP regional technical advisor for this program, explained: "The aim of these pilot programs over the next three years is to advance efforts to build national and local capacity in the near future, countries can benefit from the economic incentive provided by REDD + ".
Colombia, like other 16 nations participating as partner country, which means you have access to all progress and studies conducted, as well as work programs where countries REDD pilot store information regarding criteria, methodologies and developments.
"REDD + is an economic incentive to change behavior. It will probably be fixed through international market, according to market rules, and according to predictions, may vary between $ 3 and $ 10 per ton of carbon per hectare, "said the Colombian.
To Carrizosa, Colombia will find great opportunities to conserve their forests if this scheme materializes.
From the environmental history of the country
Al environmental economist Alberto Galán, current executive director, Natural Heritage Fund for Biodiversity and Protected Areas, it is concerned that the new look of these programs are unaware of the history of environmental policy-making and management of collective territories in the country. "Much of the discussion lately has been on forests in Colombia and the world is related to the forest economy. There will have to discuss who valued, how it does, who pays to maintain the forests or the opportunity to not use them, who benefits, who owns and what institutions exist. "
To Galán, in Colombia we have made significant progress in several aspects compared to other Latin American countries. The areas of collective territories, for example, are an essential reference when speaking of forests in the world. But concerned that the ecological values \u200b\u200bare not being packaged in a solid economic outlook: "I think from the side of the environmental sector are lagging behind in economic approaches to more elaborate and clear about it."
These decisions, continues Galán, should be included in other policies, such as peace or border. "Welcome cooperation. But it is necessary to understand what interaction we have with those who say that tendencies are going to give due assessment forests or to the corresponding monitoring. That we have to take a strong negotiating position. "
He says it is concerned that the country took action against the 47 million hectares of forest containing 60 to destine them to collective property, blacks and national parks, but did not approach comprehensive economic.
biodiversity
From
From the field of Alexander Von Humboldt Institute, its director, Brigitte Baptiste, emphasizes that policy forests and biodiversity policy must be in perfect harmony: "It is not possible without the other."
"What we would like to see us is the connection between biodiversity and forests. We've had policies that they think things separately, "says Baptiste.
The outcome of the Cancun meeting on climate change last December, admitted that forest management should be in social-ecological contexts with explicit considerations of biodiversity, and it is there "where Colombia would an additional opportunity to access many international resources, "he continues.
forests, or lack of them, have taken their toll in recent months because they are the ones that contain the erosion and allow the hydro-regulation. Perhaps no deforestation the country had not been flooded, and rivers had overflowed, and the dams filled by excess sedimentation. "There are many services that are exclusively provided by forests."
alerts on the Amazon, "as a symbol and as an expression of cultural and biological diversity, we were not allowed to see other types of forests and other forest management are probably more critical, as the Andean forests, which are on slopes, Caribbean dry forests, gallery forests of the Eastern Plains and mangrove ecosystems have their own characteristics and their potential. "
"Definitely if policies are not connected with forest land, water, mining and infrastructure, will continue into the trap of not being able to influence the actions needed in the long term to reduce For example, the impacts of the floods, "said Juan Camilo Cardenas, professor Faculty of Economics and Researcher, Centre for Development Studies (CEDE) at the Universidad de los Andes.
The best example happens Cispatá Bay in the department of Cordoba. "The Autonomous Corporation of Valle del Sinu, a environmental authority interfere in forest monitoring. Is the one that receives and approves applications for cutting bellied mangrove forest. While monitoring is done by fishermen illegally activity in the arts and the fishing. The Corporation seize the nets to the fishermen, "says Cardenas and continues:" The INPA, Incoder happened subsequent to, and interfere in the issue of fishing, upset and demand to the Corporation, "usurpation of functions." The lawsuit is still ongoing for a legal interpretation: if the fishery is 'natural resource', is a function of the Corporation, if it is "fishery resource", the jurisdiction belongs to the Incoder. " He concludes: "It is absurd: it is an ecosystem where you can not separate the mangrove forest fish, or communities who live and work exploitation of mangroves and fisheries."
Cárdenas emphasized that it is fundamental understanding of local regulations that affect property rights of these forests. "If we add the 12 million hectares of parks, five million black communities in collective titles and 30 million indigenous reserves, we're talking more than 40% of this country with a level playing property rights that are different from the private property and that most public policies are used to do. "
In his research, Cardenas combines experimental economic techniques through workshops and economic games with the different local communities. "It necessary to work the theme of forests from local communities logical, "he says. Based on studies by Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009 and who was your teacher, and those of his research group, Cárdenas believes that conservation will have better results if communities participate in building rules management and monitoring of compliance, whether or not their owners. "
Cárdenas raises an interesting hypothesis: "I believe that in Colombia there is no culture of self-regulation and monitoring by local communities themselves, it is believed this is the responsibility of the State and those who engage in this activity are seen as toads. "
http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/vivir/articulo-243924-tanto-arbol-no-deja-ver-el-bosque
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