PROGRESS AGAINST THE WARSAW FRAMEWORK
NS/AP: National Strategy on Climate Change and Vegetation Resources (Estrategia Nacional de Cambio Climático y Recursos Vegetacionales, or ENCCRV): Evaluation, implementation, and collection of lessons learned from ENCCRV´s measures (including PES) was completed in 2020, allowing Chile to establish new models of sustainable forest management that can be replicated and scaled up.
FREL/FRL: Progress was achieved in the expansion of the FREL/FRL to the southern ecoregion (Aysén, Magallanes), including the development of density diagrams for certain forest types. Chile also advanced the construction of its carbon map, allowing the country to estimate the carbon content and flow for specific analysis periods.
NFMS: Chile advanced the development of computer applications to estimate land-use change map accuracy and the uncertainty of its FREL/FRL and REDD+ Technical Annex. Design and development of ENCCRV´s Environmental and Social Co-benefits System were also undertaken in 2020.
SIS: Chile advanced the development of the social and environmental safeguards reporting format for the implementation of REDD+ projects and made progress in the system´s semi-automated reports format. Chile also initiated the review and development of the safeguards management module.
REDD+ IMPLEMENTATION
Progress was achieved on determining the log-frame and budget of the +Bosques project (GCF REDD+ RBP project). Work started to specify annual goals and measures to be executed in conjunction with regions (Maule, Biobío, Ñuble, Araucanía, Los Ríos, and Los Lagos).
ENCCRV measures, including four forest-management models (Coquimbo, the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Araucanía, and Magallanes) and five PES projects (Coquimbo, the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Araucanía, and Los Rios) continued implementation in 2020. Analysis of lessons learned will be conducted in 2021 to scale up at the regional and eventually national levels. Three of the forest-management projects are in the process of finalizing activities and closing, pending only the execution of restoration actions in the Araucanía region. In line with the priorities of Chile’s UN-REDD National Programme, PES projects are all currently under implementation.
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
Chile has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020, with a total of 608,937 cases registered as of December 2020 and 16,608 deaths associated with the virus. Social distancing was adopted as a preventive measure, which affected all the face-to-face activities planned with the beneficiaries, strategic partners, consultants, and workers in general.
The outbreak of community transmission of COVID-19 in Chile began in October 2020 and triggered massive social protests, movement restrictions, and significant economic losses. The mobility restrictions (curfews, quarantines, sanitary belts, among others), affected fieldwork given the access limitations to the territories and impediments to the provision of technical assistance. Carrying out monitoring and evaluation in the field was also a challenge. Supply chains have been interrupted, which made it difficult to acquire goods and services. As a result of these disruptions, a no-cost extension up to September 2021 was requested for Chile’s National Programme and was approved by the UN-REDD Programme Executive Board.
GENDER AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
The gender perspective was included in the development of the reporting format for social and environmental safeguards and has also been considered during the process of designing the benefits sharing system (still in the process of adjustment).
Chile’s National Forest Corporation (Corporación Nacional Forestal, or CON-AF) actively participated in the Gender and Climate Change Roundtable led by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Women. During this roundtable discussion, the participatory process of the ENCCRV was presented and a retrospective review analysis of the Strategy was carried out based on the criteria of the Gender and Climate Change Checklist. CONAF´s Wild Areas Management Unit also developed the Decalogue of Good Practices to incorporate the gender approach in the planning, management, and participation process of the State’s wild protected areas. In addition, a workshop was undertaken in 2020 with CONAF, which was focused on analyzing the formulation of two gender indicators to be included in the institutional management for 2021.
In order to support women beneficiaries of Law No. 20.283 on forestry conservation and recovery of native forests, a proposal was developed calling for the formulation of a strategy for promoting productive chains, with a focus on non-wood forest products and environmental services. A proposal of gender indicators for PES projects was also developed.
Efforts aimed at safeguarding and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples continued. A series of workshops were developed within the framework of the benefit-sharing system, which incorporated, through a participatory process, focus groups of Indigenous Peoples to gather opinions to improve the system, which allowed their holistic worldview of the territory to be incorporated.
In 2020, Chile also initiated the implementation of a cultural payment for ecosystem services project in conjunction with the indigenous community of Quinquén. Finally, a section on management on Indigenous Peoples’ matters and social affairs was integrated into CONAF’s institutional website. This initiative, led by the Unit for Indigenous and Social Affairs, materialized in the first half of January 2021.
PARTNERSHIPS
Chile made steps towards the third phase of REDD+ through the launch of the project +Bosques in August 2020. Additionally, it is expected that during 2023 funds from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) emissions reduction purchase agreement (ERPA)will be incorporated.
The land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector are now included in the integration pillar of the updated NDC, which considers sectors relevant for adaptation and mitigation. The forestry sector stands out, where ambition regarding sectoral commitments has increased. Additionally, two new commitments are included, regarding REDD+ and the National Landscape Restoration Plan.
Work has been carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment for the review and adjustment of Global Environment Facility Project Preparation Grant stage (Cycle 7) Economic Instruments for Biodiversity, including activities that would allow continuation of PES projects in Los Rios.
The National Landscape Restoration Plan 2021-2030 was formulated by the Ministries of the Environment and of Agriculture. This plan will provide the basis for the development of a bi-ministerial agenda in favor of landscape restoration with an emphasis on forests in the country.
LINKAGES TO SDGS
As a result of the implementation of the ENCCRV, progress is being made to contribute directly to SDGs 13 and 15, and indirectly to SDGs 5, 6, 8, and 12.
During the first half of 2020, Chile submitted its updated NDC to the UNFCCC, highlighting the need to maximize synergies with the SDGs. These synergies are identified taking a transversal approach of the NDCs, establishing how each commitment of the NDC contributes to the fulfillment of the SDGs.
