About the project
The project strengthens sustainable forest management, reduces deforestation, and creates social and economic opportunities for local communities and Indigenous Peoples. Implemented across Argentina’s 23 provinces, it promotes local development, safeguards, and inclusive governance.
This initiative reflects Argentina’s commitment to forests and biodiversity conservation, and sustainable livelihoods through innovative and participatory solutions, covering several key areas.
Approach
The project is being implemented across Argentina's 23 provinces through a partnership between the Argentine Government, via the Directorate of Forests under the National Subsecretariat of Environment, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This collaboration emphasizes alignment with broader development goals and international cooperation.
Safeguard approach
Safeguards are environmental, social, and governance measures designed to prevent negative impacts and promote benefits in the territories. They provide a framework of principles aimed at mitigating risks and enhancing the positive outcomes of the project's implementation. These safeguards are integrated across all project components.
The project includes measures to protect the environment, the rights of local communities and Indigenous peoples living in the forests, and to foster additional social and environmental benefits.
Full participation and consensus
Participation, dialogue, and consensus are essential for planning and ensuring local ownership of the project’s activities. Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) ensures that Indigenous peoples and local communities have the right to participate in decision-making processes concerning activities that affect their territories, livelihoods, traditions, governance systems, and culture. It allows them to grant or withhold consent after receiving information about the project in advance and in a culturally appropriate manner.
Results-based financing
Argentina received this financing as compensation for emissions reductions achieved during the 2014–2016 period, resulting from decreased deforestation in critical forest regions such as the Chaco Forest, Tucuman-Bolivian Forest, Espinal, and the Misiones Forest. The REDD+ results-based payment scheme acknowledges the country's success in reducing 18 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) out of a total of 165 million tons during this period.
Local development investment approach
Of the total funds, 72 percent is allocated to local investments aimed at promoting territorial forest management, sustainable use of forest products, early prevention and response to fires, economic and social opportunities through livelihood diversification, sustainable livestock practices that protect native forests, and strengthening forest governance through intersectoral dialogue.
Capacity development and technical support
The remaining 28 percent of the funds are dedicated to strengthening the technical capacities of provincial and national institutions for forest monitoring. This includes improving emissions reduction accounting, forest monitoring systems, greenhouse gas inventories, and the implementation of social and environmental safeguards. The initiative also supports the review of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the development of a long-term low-emission strategy, along with forestry extension programs, knowledge generation, and support for rural women in the forestry sector.
