September 2015: In the lead up to the UN Sustainable Development Summit and the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), public and private sector leaders from Panama and Costa Rica met to exchange experiences in implementing Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) projects, and explore additional actions needed to meet the LDN target. Panama and Costa Rica are among the first countries in the world to embrace the UNCCD’s LDN target at the national level.

The high-level workshop, which took place from 26-27 August in San Jose, Costa Rica, addressed, among other issues: direct and indirect benefits of land rehabilitation at different levels; policy and investment strategies to promote sustainable land management (SLM), land restoration and rehabilitation of ecosystems; technical challenges in implementing LDN programmes; and how to mobilize blended public and private finance.

Highlighting concrete achievements so far, Costa Rica noted: a Ministerial directive that integrates national and institutional political tools with the UNCCD’s LDN principles; the creation of national awards to recognize organizations complying with LDN principles; and positive results of promoting sustainable land management (SLM) practices in the Jesus Maria watershed. Panama cited the incorporation of the LDN concept within several environmental policy programs, such as the Alliance for a Million Hectares, and recent work in the degraded area of Cerro Punta. The meeting also highlighted the LDN Fund − a private investment platform implemented by the GM and the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) Development Bank of Latin America − as a leading vehicle for channeling investments to land rehabilitation.

The workshop was sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-organized by the Global Mechanism (GM) of the UNCCD and Fundación Neotrópica. In addition to representatives from Ministries of Environment, the private sector and academic institutions in the two countries, the workshop was attended by participants from international research and policy networks working on total economic valuations of terrestrial ecosystems, including the OSLO Consortium and the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative. [UNCCD News Release] [OSLO Consortium Meeting Report]