Caribbean and Latin American Countries Launch Initiative to Restore 20 Million Hectares of Land

LIMA, Peru, Dec. 08, 2014, CNS – Caribbean and Latin American countries, working with regional and global organisations, have launched Initiative 20×20, a country-led effort to bring 20 million hectares of degraded land into restoration by 2020.

As part of the initiative, five impact investors also announced plans to invest up to US$365 million of new financing to support land restoration efforts in the region.

Initiative 20×20 is supported by the World Resources Institute (WRI), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ICUN).

Through Initiative 20×20, countries and programs in the region will work with leading research organisations and the private sector to restore degraded lands, resulting in carbon storage, reforestation, more productive agriculture, avoided deforestation and improved livelihoods. The 20 million hectares committed through Initiative 20×20 will not be fully restored by 2020 because it takes many years for forests and ecosystems to redevelop, but will start their restoration process by 2020.

Ambitions announced through Initiative 20×20 will also contribute to the Bonn Challenge, a global goal to bring 150 million hectares of land into restoration by 2020.

About half of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Latin America and the Caribbean are generated from land use, land use change, and forestry. Of the 4.2 gigatons of GHGs emitted by Latin American and Caribbean countries in 2012, 2.0 Gt were from land use and loss of forests.  Reducing emissions from land use change is key for the prospects of a low carbon development future.

“As the world prepares to deliver a binding climate agreement in Paris by 2015, restoration will be absolutely essential for countries to hit their emissions targets, while also delivering huge benefits for the rural poor. Through their leadership in Initiative 20×20, these countries will have a tremendous head start,” said Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, WRI.

Analysis by WRI and IUCN has identified over 200 million hectares of restoration opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Further analysis is underway to quantify the economic and climate benefits of reaching the Initiative 20×20 restoration targets.