Unlocking Paraguay's forest potential: the REDD+ journey

The Paraguay + Verde Project, which translates to "For a Greener Paraguay," is a REDD+ results-based payment initiative that acknowledges Paraguay's role in reducing emissions from deforestation.

This project supports virtuous cycles of continuous emission reductions by enhancing forest management and operationalizing a climate change fund. It marks a significant milestone for forest and climate governance in this South American country due to its scale and anticipated impacts. 

Paraguay is home to part of the Gran Chaco, South America's second-largest forest ecosystem after the Amazon. According to the latest census, Paraguay is home to approximately 150,000 indigenous people across 19 ethnic groups, organized into five linguistic families. These communities face the challenges posed by deforestation, including loss of land, displacement, and reduced access to vital resources like food, water, and medicine. The environmental degradation caused by forest loss threatens their livelihoods, biodiversity, and traditional practices, while contributing to water scarcity andhealth problems. Between 2002 and 2023, Paraguay lost 1.16 million hectares of primary humid forest, representing 17% of its total tree cover loss during this period. The total area of primary humid forest in Paraguay decreased by 34% during this timeframe. 

Paraguay + Verde is one of the Results-Based Payment (RBP) projects funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in the Latin America and Caribbean region, rewarding the country for successfully reducing 23 million tons of CO2 emissions through improved forest management and conservation efforts between 2015 and 2017. The agreed payments amount to USD 50 million, to be invested between 2019 and 2026, under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the Accredited Entity of the GCF, alongside other relevant entities. Implementing public institutions include the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Ministry of Agriculture (MAG), the National Forestry Institute (INFONA), with advisory institutions such as the Ministry of Women and the Paraguayan Indigenous Institute (INDI). Additional partners include UNDP and FAO as implementing partners. 

The UN-REDD Programme has supported Paraguay through its National UN-REDD Programme to develop capacities and advance or complete the four pillars of the Warsaw Framework, enabling the country to access RBPs under the United Nations  Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): 

• Developing a National REDD+ Strategy. 
• Submission of Forest Reference Levels (FRLs). 
• Establishing a National Forest Monitoring System. 
• Creating a Safeguards Information System (SIS). 

The Paraguay + Verde project strongly emphasizes institutional strengthening, building on the achievements of the REDD+ readiness phase to effectively implement the National Forest Strategy for Sustainable Growth, Paraguay's national REDD+ strategy. To date, the Project has achieved several advancements, including: 

• Strengthening regulations for protected area management, for example in Parque Nacional Ñacunday. 
• Developing the National Forest Restoration Plan. 
• Enhancing the National Forest Monitoring System, including the generation, digitization, and transparency of information, for example with the new Forests and Land use platform. 
• Institutional strengthening of MADES. 

The Project also focuses on ensuring environmental and social integrity in REDD+ implementation, with a particular emphasis on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the integration of a gender approach in all aspects of the project.

To this end, the project has established a Technical Working Group on Safeguards and Equality, comprising public sector institutions and UN agencies implementing the Project. This group serves as a platform for the participatory development of technical instruments for managing social and environmental risks and reporting on how safeguards are addressed and respected within the Project. Additionally, a Community of Practice and Learning on Gender has been established, providing an interactive space that ensures the implementation of the Project's Gender Action Plan and the mainstreaming of the gender approach across all components and activities of the initiative. 

Rosa Benitez, primera mujer jefa del Parque Nacional Ybycuí

Regarding the intercultural approach of the Project, it is worth noting that the Project's Executive Board, the highest decision-making body of Paraguay + Verde, includes four Indigenous Peoples' representatives with gender parity: two from the Chaco, representing 28 regional indigenous organizations, and two from the Eastern region, representing 15 indigenous organizations. This Board configuration ensures that Indigenous Peoples have a voice and influence in the most critical processes of the Project at the public authority level, such as the review and approval of the Annual Operating Plan and the main safeguards and gender instruments, including the Guidelines for Applying Free, Prior, and Informed Consent in the context of activities directed at indigenous peoples, the gender protocol, among others. 

Another notable social impact of the Project is the implementation of gender-focused actions to empower women. This includes special recognition for Indigenous women, highlighting their role in forest and biodiversity conservation.

In this context, affirmative actions have been applied to create childcare spaces (including play and learning areas) so that mothers can effectively participate in workshops and intercultural dialogues, such as promoting access to the Environmental Services Regime in indigenous communities and the intercultural dialogues of the Regional Indigenous Councils established in each region at the request of the participating organizations' leaders.

The role of this council, with equal representation of men and women, is to serve as a link between the indigenous representation on the Board of Directors and the indigenous communities. Currently, a male and female representative from the Regional Council, depending on the indigenous community where project activities are developed, accompany these activities to understand the communities' demands and interests and convey them to the indigenous representatives on the Board of Directors so that they can advocate based on the realities of the territories. Special attention is also given to female park rangers, who play a fundamental role in conserving protected areas. Efforts have been made to strengthen their capacities, promoting and highlighting their leadership through documenting and systematizing their life stories. 

In 2024, Paraguay + Verde is reaching the midpoint of its implementation, with several on-the-ground activities primarily focused on land use planning, strengthening protected wild areas, promoting ecotourism within these areas, boosting the Environmental Services Regime, and strengthening Sustainable Development Platforms, integrating indigenous leaders and local communities into every activity.