9 December 2014: The World Bank announced the approval of a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project to support improved forest governance and sustainable land management in Colombia.

The project intends to balance conservation goals with the needs of local populations through investments in agroforestry, support for protected areas management, institutional capacity building for indigenous and community land management, and the development of cross-sectoral strategies for sustainable land management.

In addition to providing local benefits, the project is the first commitment delivered under the Vision Amazonia, an initiative by the Government of Colombia to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its forested areas. As such, the project also contains elements to enhance monitoring and reporting on forest-based emissions.

The project, ‘Forest Conservation and Sustainability in the Heart of the Colombian Amazon’ will be implemented in collaboration with Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Patrimonio Natural with a total budget of US$10.4 million. [World Bank Press Release] [Project Website]