Sustainable forestry and renewable energy projects will benefit the Andean region

*Rehabilitation of degraded areas can be* *the focus of the projects proposed to the cooperation programs financed by Finland.*

San José, Costa Rica, December 12, 2011 (IICA). As of 2012, new projects on innovation in sustainable forestry management and development of renewable energies will have a positive impact on the rural inhabitants of Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, the initial stages of which will be financed by the Government of Finland, in coordination with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

In 2011, the first Call was launched in the Andean Region to access the competitive funds of the programs entitled Sustainable Forestry Management (SFM) and Alliance in Energy and Environment (AEA). Projects man be submitted up to December 19, with presentation of the project profile and legal documentation.

According to Roberto Gonzalez, IICA representative in Peru, the initiatives selected will receive between US$50,000 and US$280,000.

The SFM program will fund pilot projects as well as pre-feasibility and feasibility projects that mitigate or solve, in a sustainable manner, the obstacles that limit sustainable forestry management in the countries mentioned. The total amount of the SFM program is US$3 million, which is directed towards public and private entities, in keeping with the provisions of the first Call (www.forestalsostenibleandina.net).

Proposals may focus on areas such as sustainable forestry management, forestry plantations, payment for environmental services and rehabilitation of degraded areas. Cross-cutting criteria will also be taken into account, such as poverty alleviation, benefits to minority groups and gender equity within the project.

The AEA program possesses US$2 million for projects that are geared towards strengthening the knowledge base and institutional framework for development, the use of renewable energies in the Andean countries as well as better integration of energy-efficient technologies. The conditions for this program can also be viewed online at www.energiayambienteandina.net.

In this case, the organizations can opt for co-financing for projects relating to research, development and innovation; demonstration projects; production of feasibility and pre-feasibility studies; dissemination and exchange of knowledge as well as capacity-building.

The projects selected for the SFM and AEA programs will be contacted in January 2012, but further information will not be given until March 2012, when the full proposal has been analyzed.

For more information, contact:
roberto.gonzalez@iica.int