Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – The vice president of the World Bank for Latin America and the Caribbean, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, recognized the efforts of the Dominican Republic in reforestation, in a panel held within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP28), where the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Miguel Ceara Hatton, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to expand forest cover as a key measure to preserve water sources.
“They have done very well, Dominican Republic, in maintaining much of its forest cover and I think it is one of the few countries that has expanded it in recent decades, so they have done things right,” said Jaramillo, moderating the panel “Sustainable Horizons in LAC: Unveiling Strategies for Climate Resilient Development”, held by the World Bank among the activities of the COP28.
The panel, which was opened by Anna Bjerde, Chief Operating Officer of the World Bank, included, along with the Minister of Environment of the Dominican Republic, Sebastián Camilo Carranza Tovar, Director of Climate Change and Risk Management of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia; João Paulo de Resende, Special Advisor on Climate Change Economics of the Ministry of Finance of Brazil; and Jessica Ocampos, Managing Director and CEO of the British company Camnexus Limited and Associate of the Technology Transfer Office of the University of Cambridge.
Recognizing the Dominican Republic’s efforts in reforestation and the expansion of its forest cover, the World Bank executives referred to the future challenge of preserving original forests.
During the panel, Minister Ceara Hatton highlighted that the Dominican Republic’s efforts, in addition to focusing on expanding forest cover as a global contribution to carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration, are a key public policy and a commitment to society to improve the natural regulation of the country’s water sources.
He highlighted that the Dominican Republic maintains a forest cover of 42% of its territory, with 38% corresponding to forestry and the rest to agroforestry. However, they face the challenge of cutting practices for crops, which generate fires and risk situations.
He explained that in response to these challenges, the Dominican Government has initiated the National Reforestation and Restoration Plan 2023-204, with the objective of planting the equivalent of about 200 square kilometers.
“The goal is to plant around 20 million trees to contribute to the carbon sink and, more crucially, to regulate the level of water in the country, especially vital given that the Dominican Republic receives around 1,500 millimeters of rainfall and faces limitations in storage capacity,” Ceara Hatton stressed.
The Minister of the Environment emphasized that “this effort relies on the participation of the government and the communities, with practically all the financing coming from the government”. He also highlighted the interest of the private sector, which has been channeled through a framework that guarantees planting with the right to cut, which generates confidence and encourages long-term investments.
In the panel, Minister Ceara Hatton presented the development of the Reforestation and Forest Restoration Plan as a good practice of resilience and sustainability implemented in the Dominican Republic.
The Minister of Environment headed the Dominican Republic’s delegation to COP28 and participated in the panel, as well as in various activities before returning to the country, leaving the official representation under the leadership of Milagros De Camps, Vice Minister of Climate Change and Sustainability.
Source: Presidencia.gob.do
