Protecting Forest for the Benefit of Climate, People and Nature in Paraguay - a Multi-level Approach

The ecoregions of the Atlantic rainforest, the Pantanal and the Chaco are endangered by the increasing conversion of land, especially of forest, into areas for the expansion of soy farming and cattle farming. In collaboration with the government of Paraguay and local communities at national, subnational and local levels, this project has strengthened the ability to protect and improve forests with high carbon storage capacity while supporting environmental and social systems in areas of high biological diversity. The focus was on the planning and testing of tailor-made REDD-Plus projects for the local population and indigenous populations. All measures were carried out in close cooperation with governmental institutions and civil society organizations, and were used in the development of REDD-Plus strategies and programs.

Project data

Countries: Paraguay
IKI funding: 2,114,422.53 €
Duration: 09/2012 till 08/2016
Status: completed
Implementing organisation: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Germany
Political Partner: National Forestry Institute (INFONA) - Paraguay

Secretary of the Environment (SEAM) - Paraguay
Implementing Partner: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Paraguay
Online: http://www.parlu.org

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State of implementation/results

Project completed
With its combination of interrelated measures - the elaboration of basic data,the implementation of practice-oriented pilot projects, the information of different target groups as well as the targeted training of decision-makers the technical development of key components (PES / MRV), the creation of blueprints as well as a communication strategy directed at various target groups and levels (local / national / international), REDD + measures and processes could be promoted and disseminated successfully.
Important framework conditions for this are the adopted forest protection laws and PES-REDD + regulations as well as national processes for the REDD + strategy, which are based not least on the increasing awareness of decision-makers. Since WWF representatives have also been appointed consultants in relevant advisory bodies, they can also be influenced by national REDD + activities beyond the project duration.
The sustainability of the project is further supported by the fact that the experiences gained in the pilot projects and their increased contribution to economic, social and environmental development have triggered a multiplier effect at local level. These include new strategic partnerships as well as the submission of new project proposals, among others.
Furthermore the WWF promoted the value chains of the new products in the municipalities. In the framework of the project, around 400 families of rural and indigenous communities received technical support and assistance in the capacity building for REDD + agroforestry models, incorporating indigenous species such as the Paraguayan tea plant Yerba Mate, other indigenous tree species and medicinal and aromatic plants.

Latest Update:
04/2025