San Carlos. With the conviction that nature-based solutions are vital to face the impact of the global pandemic due to COVID-19, the Costa Rican Government announced this Friday the goal of planting 200 thousand trees in the northern part of the country, with a view to the celebration of the Bicentennial of Independence in September 2021.
Under the name, “Footprint of the Future” the project was presented this Friday in a symbolic ceremony in San Carlos by the Vice President of the Republic and coordinator of the North Zone Development Strip, Epsy Campbell, who planted together with the Minister of Environment and Energy , Andrea Meza, a yellow bark tree.
The environmental program with social impact is led together with the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and aims to rehabilitate landscapes and ecosystems of nine northern cantons and generate green jobs at times critical to the local economy.
In this context, Vice President Campbell Barr explained that in order to achieve the objectives, it is intended to plant in the coming months and maintain 65 thousand fruit and flower trees on public roads for five years, 120 thousand timber in agroforestry and silvopastoral systems, and others. 15 thousand species in secondary forests.
This will allow, according to data from the National Forest Financing Fund (FONAFIFO), the generation of approximately 200 direct jobs, 700 indirect beneficiaries and another significant amount of green wages.
During the presentation – within the framework of the third day of the Huetar Norte Region Territorial Dialogue Table – Vice President Campbell explained that this effort will seek to support a green and inclusive economic reactivation, generating jobs and ensuring a better future for future generations. through rehabilitation, planting, reforestation in various areas of the productive and rural urban landscape.
“Huella del Futuro seeks to bring together partners from various fields with a view to greening the northern area of Costa Rica and the economy for the enjoyment of all people and the planet. Unlike other international tree planting initiatives, this one seeks survival success by providing maintenance for 5 years. In addition, it will establish a map that can be consulted online where it will be possible to visualize the place where each tree has been planted and other information ”, he assured.
For her part, Minister Meza stressed that the initiative will contribute to the country’s efforts to increase its forest coverage to 60% by 2030 and will seek to face the difficult economic situation of vulnerable groups.
“Huella del Futuro, and its financing mechanisms, are aimed at small producers, organized groups of women and young people and others, who represent the most vulnerable to the direct effects of climate change, given their economic imitation and location in fragile and highly marginal, in addition to their dependence on agriculture both to generate food and work, “he said.
Financing. The initiative has the support of UNDP, within the framework of its BIOFIN Initiative, whose objective is to reduce the financing gap in biodiversity and who is mobilizing financial resources. BIOFIN has invested an estimated amount of 45,000 USD to develop the Initiative and mobilized additional USD 26,000 resources from the UNDP COVID 19 Attention Fund for the implementation of the Communication Strategy of the fundraising campaign.
The first contribution made has been that of the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ), the European Union (EU) and the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), in the Green Development Fund, with a budget of $ 724,580 .
All people, companies, environmental organizations that want to be part of the project can be part of the initiative, through different sponsorships, through the website www.huelladelfuturo.cr
In this sense, José Vicente Troya Rodríguez, UNDP Resident Representative, highlighted the importance of promoting the collection platform nationally and internationally to reach the goal of planting 200 thousand trees in 11 months.
“To the extent that we are unable to harness the transformative potential of ecosystems in a responsible way, our weakness to tackle crises will increase, while reducing the capacity that derives from social and economic benefits, as well as the resilience to the common welfare of societies and communities in Costa Rica. W We are proud to walk on the right path, to be part of this country effort and to generate a fundraising platform that we will promote nationally and internationally, to create green jobs, guarantee the financial autonomy of women, and firmly, ensure a greener future. , supportive, inclusive and sustainable, he stated.
In the same sense, the Charge d’Affaires ai of the European Union, Katja De Sadeleer, stressed that in an increasingly smaller world threatened by climate change and pandemics, “we have to integrate the concepts of health, economy and ecology , integrate efforts between governments, the population, companies and international cooperation ”, he said.
“Ecosystem restoration is an important task that invites us to work together to guarantee ecosystem services and improve local livelihoods; That is why we join the Huella del Futuro initiative through the Green Development Fund for the SICA region, which is one of the many projects that the European Union is financing in the Central American region to promote resilience to climate change and sustainable economic development. ”He added
Original note: PNUD Costa Rica – Costa Rica lanza proyecto para sembrar 200 mil árboles en la zona norte
