In an era where global environmental preservation takes center stage, El Salvador, under the leadership of President Nayib Bukele, is no exception. The government is actively collaborating with international organizations to ensure a sustainable future for the environment.
The Minister of Environment, Fernando Lopez, took the stage to showcase the progress made through various policy instruments aimed at accelerating environmental restoration and monitoring ecosystem and landscape regeneration. The primary focus of this initiative is to drive actions that revitalize ecosystem services and enhance resilience in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Uses (AFOLU) sector.
“We’ve implemented an environmental compensation methodology that not only seeks to recover affected ecosystems but also strives for a net gain, recognizing their primary services. This work has led us to establish a metric that goes beyond compensation, enabling us to prioritize and value our territory from a sustainable landscape perspective,” commented Lopez.
As a result of this goal, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has expanded its operations, incorporating agroforestry and agricultural practices that contribute to the functionality and connectivity of ecosystems, conceptualized through the Ecosystem and Productive Landscape Restoration Program (PREPP).
Among the developed instruments are the strategy for regenerating ecosystem services, the metric and framework for environmental compensation, the ecosystem and productive landscape restoration program, and the program for environmental incentives and disincentives.
René Zamora, representing the World Resources Institute (WRI), emphasized that these strategies aim to ensure compatibility between landscapes that include cities, protected areas, agriculture, and various other uses with the environment.
“El Salvador has committed to restoring half of its country’s land for ecosystems, which, when compared to Colombia, that has committed the same number of hectares, is a remarkably ambitious goal in terms of achieving targets and objectives,” he added.
The government’s dedication to environmental preservation and its comprehensive policy instruments demonstrate its commitment to ensuring a sustainable and resilient future for El Salvador’s ecosystems and landscapes. As the world grapples with environmental challenges, this collaborative effort with international partners sets an inspiring example for responsible stewardship of our planet’s natural resources.