According to Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, the national deforestation rate from 2008 to 2012 was approximately 0.6%, or an average of 74,400 hectares per year. The country has prioritized lowering its deforestation rate through a number of national policies. Ecuador’s Ministry of the Environment launched the Socio Bosque Program in 2008 to incentivize the protection of forests, and in 2009, the country’s Plan for Good Living set a national goal to reduce deforestation by 30% by 2013. Ecuador has seen support for its initiatives from the UN-REDD Programme – after Ecuador became a beneficiary country in 2011 – and other international, multilateral and bilateral commitments.
Finance is currently supporting the following REDD+ activities in Ecuador:
The chart shows the REDD+ activities supported by the different donor institution types. The list of activities and definitions was drawn from broad agreement among REDD+ experts, including the civil society national partners collecting data across the initiative countries.
It is important to note that the absence of support for an activity from a specific donor type does not constitute a lack of attention to the activity overall, since the activity could be well-funded through other donor types.
In Ecuador, donor governments support nearly all types of REDD+ activities. Most other donor entities focus on stakeholder engagement, MRV and reference levels, safeguards, and other activities including capacity building. At this time, no donors are supporting carbon offsets and performance-based payments for improved forest and land management. There are relatively few of these types of projects within Ecuador, as REDD+ is still in its early stages.
Stakeholder engagement: Funding aimed at improving participation of non-governmental stakeholders through the design, implementation, and/or monitoring phases of REDD+, and/or funding that promotes media outreach.
Rights and tenure: Funding directed at addressing issues of rights and tenure – including clarifying land, property and carbon rights.
MRV and reference levels: Funding aimed at improving the monitoring, reporting and/or verification of REDD+, including changes in forest cover, forest degradation, biodiversity, or social and governance levels. Funding to define or implement reference levels to measure emissions, co-benefits and governance in country.
Safeguards: Funding aimed at identifying barriers to forest conservation and enabling social and environmental benefits.
Policy and law analysis & development, REDD strategy development & advocacy: Funding aimed at promoting research, advocacy and outreach to policymakers.
Institutional strengthening: Funding aimed at developing in-country public institutions, ministries, staffing capacity and resources for REDD+.
Forest carbon project design: Funding aimed at developing project design documents (PDDs) and validation activities. This includes credited projects that go to the market and those that want REDD+ payments.
Improved forest and land management to reduce deforestation and degradation (implementation): Funding supporting protected areas, sustainable forest management, and reforestation management activities – including enforcement and compliance.
Carbon offsets and performance-based payments for improved forest and land management: Funding aimed at carbon offsets, direct payments, actual benefits sharing, and actual payments such as incentive and performance-based payments.
Other: Funding aimed at REDD+ activities that do not fall within the broad categories listed. For example, funding that is listed as technical support.
The chart shows the number of REDD+ activities at least partially supported by donor commitments. The main activities included in projects were stakeholder engagement, MRV and references levels and safeguards.
Stakeholder engagement: Funding aimed at improving participation of non-governmental stakeholders through the design, implementation, and/or monitoring phases of REDD+, and/or funding that promotes media outreach.
Rights and tenure: Funding directed at addressing issues of rights and tenure – including clarifying land, property and carbon rights.
MRV and reference levels: Funding aimed at improving the monitoring, reporting and/or verification of REDD+, including changes in forest cover, forest degradation, biodiversity, or social and governance levels. Funding to define or implement reference levels to measure emissions, co-benefits and governance in country.
Safeguards: Funding aimed at identifying barriers to forest conservation and enabling social and environmental benefits.
Policy and law analysis & development, REDD strategy development & advocacy: Funding aimed at promoting research, advocacy and outreach to policymakers.
Institutional strengthening: Funding aimed at developing in-country public institutions, ministries, staffing capacity and resources for REDD+.
Forest carbon project design: Funding aimed at developing project design documents (PDDs) and validation activities. This includes credited projects that go to the market and those that want REDD+ payments.
Improved forest and land management to reduce deforestation and degradation (implementation): Funding supporting protected areas, sustainable forest management, and reforestation management activities – including enforcement and compliance.
Carbon offsets and performance-based payments for improved forest and land management: Funding aimed at carbon offsets, direct payments, actual benefits sharing, and actual payments such as incentive and performance-based payments.
Other: Funding aimed at REDD+ activities that do not fall within the broad categories listed. For example, funding that is listed as technical support.
All data presented in this chart was collected in-country through our national partner, Ecodecision, and compiled by Forest Trends. For more information on our methodology, please visit our FAQs page.