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The Government of Peru, along with the Global Environment Facility, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and World Wildlife Fund, introduced their efforts to secure large scale, long-term climate investments for forest conservation in the Peruvian Amazon. This program, known as Patrimonio del Peru, will result in improved management of 16.7m ha in 38 protected areas in the Peruvian Amazon by 2028, safeguarding 23% of Peru’s total Amazon carbon stock (6.7b tons of CO2eq), and sequestering more than 40m tons CO2e annually. The improved management includes activities to increase participation in management by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and 10 of the Protected Areas are Communal Reserves, which are areas designated for the conservation of flora and fauna specifically for the benefit of Indigenous communities. Patrimonio del Peru is supported through a WWF-GEF Project, Securing the Future of Peru’s Protected Areas, which is currently in implementation, led by SERNANP.

This warm and dynamic conversation between Hon. Fabiola Muñoz Dodero, Minister of Environment of Peru, Harvey Fineberg of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Naoko Ishii of the Global Environment Facility, moderated by Carter Roberts of World Wildlife Fund, underscored the amplified conservation and climate impacts countries could achieve by working closely with partners. Hon. Fabiola Muñoz Dodero spoke to the need for partners to support country outcomes. “Working with partners is an opportunity for us to identify new options, it’s the best way to move forward and show what’s possible.”  However, the participants also underscored the importance of country leadership in realizing similar initiatives. Speaking to his organization’s experience, Carter Roberts stated, “What I’ve learned through this work is that every country is different, every version is different, but every case relies on leadership and partnership.”

Both Harvey Fineberg and Naoko Ishii underscored the overall importance of the success of Patrimonio del Peru for the Amazon region. Mr. Fineberg reminded the audience that it is in Peru where you have both the headwaters of the Amazon River and the rainforest, “and if you can deal with the protection needs for both there is no better place to engage than Peru.” Ms. Ishii, speaking to the nature of the financial mechanism which undergirds the program, remarked, “This is a prudent model for us to address a challenge that the Amazon is now facing. We are very much in.” The session concluded with reiterations of support, and excitement for the next stages of the process.