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Paraguay prepares for REDD+ with UNEP-WCMC

UNEP-WCMC has been working closely with the UN-REDD National Joint Programme in Paraguay to develop maps which can be used as decision-support tools by the Paraguayan government when planning for REDD+.

REDD+ is an effort under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to provide financial incentives for developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and to conserve, manage and enhance existing forest carbon stocks. REDD+ has the potential to achieve more policy goals than emissions reduction alone. It could also contribute to enabling the sustainable use of forest resources and biodiversity conservation. In the case of Paraguay, the conversion of forests to pasture and croplands not only threatens carbon stocks and biodiversity, but also the provision of non-timber forest products used by forest-dependent communities, and the preservation of sites considered sacred to Paraguay’s indigenous peoples.

Forest in Chaco region and map of forest cover

Left: Approximately 84 per cent of Paraguay's remaining forest cover is located in the Chaco region. Photo by LLosuna (CC BY-NC-ND 1.0).

Right: Map of Forest cover (2011). Method and data sources: Forest cover: PNC ONU-REDD+ Paraguay (2011) Mapa de bosque/no bosque. Inventario Forestal Nacional. Asuncion, Paraguay, PNC ONU-REDD+. 

At present, Paraguay’s forests cover approximately 40 per cent of the country and are a major carbon store and sink for carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Paraguay’s subtropical eastern region is home to the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, among the most biodiverse and threatened ecosystems in the world, while the western (or Chaco) region is part of one of the world’s last large areas of dry tropical forest. However, Paraguay’s forests have suffered large-scale deforestation and degradation over the past few decades due to population and infrastructure expansion, and the conversion of land for growing soya and for cattle grazing.

Maps that provide information on the suitability of locations for different REDD+ actions, as well as additional social and environmental benefits, can help decision-makers in Paraguay to plan for REDD+ in a way that enhances potential benefits and reduces possible risks. Starting in 2011 with a workshop on the prioritization of possible benefits and risks from REDD+, and continuing with a stakeholder consultation workshop in 2013 and a joint GIS working session in 2014, UNEP-WCMC has been working closely with the UN-REDD National Joint Programme in Paraguay to develop maps that contain information useful to planners and decision makers.

These maps are available in the report Mapping multiple benefits of REDD+ in Paraguay: using spatial information to support land-use planning (also available in Spanish). The benefits examined reflect priorities identified by national stakeholders in Paraguay, and include the role of forests in storing carbon, hosting biodiversity, protecting soil, and providing cultural, social and livelihood benefits for indigenous and forest-dependent communities. Areas under pressure from deforestation and those with potential to deliver multiple benefits from REDD+ actions are identified, both nationally and for the Chaco region.

Publication information

Walcott, J.;Thorley, J.; Kapos, V.; Miles, L,; Woroniecki, S; and Blaney, R. (2015) Mapping multiple benefits of REDD+ in Paraguay: using spatial information to support land-use planning. Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC.

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