Sustainable Forest Management: A History of Support for Forests

Sustainable Forest Management

A History of Support for Forests For 20 years the GEF has recognized through its portfolio of projects the importance of forests, particularly for their role in sustaining biodiversity, providing a range of important environmental services, and offering livelihood options for many forest dependent people.

The GEF is a key supporter of developing countries’ efforts to sustainably manage their forests. Since 1991, the GEF has financed over 330 projects and programs focusing on forests totaling more than $1.6 billion in GEF grant support, levering $7.4 billion from other sources.

Forests in GEF-5

Programming in GEF-5

In GEF-5, support for forests was expanded and strengthened by widening the range of potential project activities, expanding the scope of action to all types of forests, and increasing the level of funding directed to them.

As of March 2013, a total 39 projects and programs have received funds from the SFM/REDD+ incentive. These are supported by $451 million of GEF investments of which $90 million is derived from the incentive envelope. This funding has been distributed to 55 countries.

Using the flexibility of a multi-focal area program GEF-5 established a separate funding window of $250 million operated as an incentive mechanism for countries to enhance financing of their forests. With a goal of encouraging $1 billion investment in forests through integrated approaches, this focuses the forest-related objectives of the three focal areas; biodiversity, climate change and land degradation.

This model reinforces the GEF’s unique position in forest financing globally, drawing from the following: ■ Mandate from the three Rio Conventions covering the full range of SFM and REDD+ activities; ■ Applicability to all types of forest within 144 developing countries; ■ Response to call by the UNFF for dedicated support to SFM; ■ Seeks synergy through strengthening cross-cutting themes and avoids silos in forest funding; and, ■ Ability to direct significant funding to individual countries from within GEF funds and supported by co-finance from other sources.

These programs and projects have utilized approximately 40% of the $250 million incentive envelope. The GEF-5 investments in forests have leveraged $3.6 billion in co-finance from a range of other sources. This equates to a co-financing ratio of 1:8, which is almost 50% higher than the historical levels of co-finance for GEF-funded forest projects over the past 20 years.

GEF-5 SFM/REDD+ Portfolio (July 2010-November 2012) REGIONAL PROGRAMS:

NATIONAL PROJECTS:

Sahel and West Africa Program in Support of the Great Green Wall Initiative (World Bank)

Albania: Environmental Services Project (World Bank)

Lake Chad Basin Regional Program for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Energy Efficiency (LCB-NREE) (AfDB) Greater Mekong Subregion Forests and Biodiversity Program (GMS-FBP) (ADB/World Bank) Mano River Union Ecosystem Conservation and International Water Resources Management (IWRM) Project (AfDB) Implementing Integrated Land, Water & Wastewater Management in Caribbean SIDS (UNDP) Multiplying Environmental and Carbon Benefits in High Andean Ecosystems (Ecuador, Peru) (UNEP)

Azerbaijan: Sustainable Land and Forest Management in the Greater Caucasus Landscape (UNDP) Belarus: Landscape Approach to Management of Peatlands Aiming at Multiple Ecological Benefits (UNDP) Belize: Management and Protection of Key Biodiversity Areas (World Bank) Bhutan: Sustainable Financing for Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resources Management (World Bank) Bosnia-Herzegovina: Sustainable forest and abandoned land management project (World Bank) Brazil: Recovery and protection of climate and biodiversity services in the Paraiba do Sul basin of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil (IADB) Brazil: Consolidation of National System of Conservation Units (SNUC) and Enhanced Flora and Fauna Protection (IADB)

Burundi: Watershed Approach to Sustainable Coffee Production in Burundi (World Bank) Cambodia: Strengthening National Biodiversity and Forest Carbon Stock Conservation through Landscape-based Collaborative Management of Cambodia’s Protected Area System as Demonstrated in the Mondulkiri Conservation Landscape (CAMPAS Project) (UNEP)

Kyrgyz Republic: Sustainable Management of Mountainous Forest and Land Resources under Climate Change Conditions (FAO).

Malawi: Shire Natural Ecosystems Management Project (World Bank) Malaysia: Improving Connectivity in the Central Forest Spine (CFS) Landscape - IC-CFS (UNDP)

Cameroon: Sustainable Forest Management under the Authority of Cameroonian Councils (FAO)

Mexico: Conservation of Coastal Watersheds in Changing Environments (World Bank)

Chile: Integrated National Monitoring and Assessment System on Forest Ecosystems (SIMEF) in Support of Policies, Regulations and SFM Practices Incorporating REDD+ and Biodiversity Conservation in Forest Ecosystems (FAO)

Mongolia: Securing Forest Ecosystems through Participatory Management and Benefit Sharing (FAO)

Colombia: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Dry Ecosystems to Guarantee the Flow of Ecosystem Services and to Mitigate the Processes of Deforestation and Desertification (UNDP) Cote d’Ivoire: Integrated Management of Protected Areas in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa (UNEP) Ecuador: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, Forests, Soil and Water to Achieve the Good Living (Buen Vivir / Sumac Kasay) in the Napo Province (FAO) Grenada: Implementing a “Ridge to Reef” Approach to Protecting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions within and Around Protected Areas (UNDP) Guatemala: Sustainable Forest Management and Multiple Global Environmental Benefits (UNDP) Honduras: Delivering Multiple Global Environment Benefits through Sustainable Management of Production Landscapes (UNDP) India: Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Services Improvement Project (World Bank) Jamaica: Integrated Management of the Yallahs River and Hope River Watersheds (IADB)

Paraguay: Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Land Management into Production Practices in all Bioregions and Biomes (UNDP) Peru: Transforming Management of Protected Area/ Landscape Complexes to Strengthen Ecosystem Resilience (UNDP) Rwanda: Landscape Approach to Forest Restoration and Conservation (LAFREC) (World Bank) St. Lucia: Iyanola - Natural Resource Management of the NE Coast (UNEP) Turkey: Integrated Approach to Management of Forests in Turkey, with Demonstration in High Conservation Value Forests in the Mediterranean Region (UNDP) Uganda: Addressing Barriers to the Adoption of Improved Charcoal Production Technologies and Sustainable Land Management practices through an integrated approach (UNDP) Zambia: Strengthening Management Effectiveness and Generating Multiple Environmental Benefits within and around Protected Areas in Zambia (UNDP) Zimbabwe: Hwange-Sanyati Biological Corridor (HSBC) Environment Management and Conservation Project (World Bank)