Financial Performance, National Programme
Argentina’s NDC unconditional goal is “not to exceed the net emission of 483 MtCO2 eq. by 2030”. The Biennial Update Report (BUR) reported a decrease in deforestation rates from 375,000 hectares in 2010 to 185,000 hectares in 2014, representing more than a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Rates have fallen significantly since 2010 due to the implementation of Law 26.331 on Environmental Protection of Native Forests and the drop in crop prices.
NS/AP
With UN-REDD support, Argentina submitted its National Action Plan on Forests and Climate Change (PANByCC) to the UNFCCC REDD+ Info Hub in December 2018. The plan is integrated into the country’s NDCs and sets an unconditional emissions reduction target of 27 MtCO2eq and a conditional goal of 81 MtCO2eq by 2030. Advances were made in identifying and mapping the social and environmental benefits of the plan. An analysis of potential non-carbon benefits derived from REDD+ implementation was carried out at the subnational scale. The main work areas of the plan have been shared with the public through audiovisuals prepared with the support of the National Programme.
FREL/FRL
The FREL was constructed and submitted to UNFCCC through the REDD+ Info Hub. UN-REDD support and the intensive technical work of national experts were key to achieving this milestone. The subnational scope of the FREL encompasses almost 90 per cent of Argentina’s forest lands and includes gross CO2 emissions due to deforestation from changes in the above- and below-ground biomass of native forests for the period 2002–2013, accounting for 101.141.848 tCO2. Its accuracy assessment is ongoing and will be annexed in 2019.
NFMS
Technical cooperation between UN-REDD experts, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (SAyDS) and national scientific institutes boosted automation and new methodologies for the NFMS, taking into consideration five priority regions to be finalized by September 2019. The studies and methodology will enhance the capacity of the NFMS to meet increasing demands for national and international reporting, including on REDD+ activities. Analysis on including other carbon pools in the NFI is progressing. The NFMS web-dissemination platform was enhanced with tools to improve its functionality and add new data layers. Finally, the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory systematized the information and data for the AFOLU sector.
SIS
A safeguards dialogue with participants from Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico took place in March 2018, with a focus on sharing experiences and lessons learned to advance the countries’ national safeguards approaches. A draft of the national interpretation of safeguards, plans for the SIS design and an index of key content for the SOI on safeguards were reviewed with a range of stakeholders. Information needs for the SIS were identified, including how benefit and risk analyses and gender-related activities, processes and outputs can provide key inputs. The consolidated information will enable Argentina to submit the SOI to UNFCCC by December 2019.
Challenges and Solutions
Argentina was granted a further no-cost extension to its national programme, until the end of December 2019, to account for implementation delays due to institutional reforms and other domestic factors external to the UN-REDD Programme, the national programme and the United Nations agencies.
Gender and Social Inclusion
Guidelines are being developed to support subnational decision makers in mainstreaming gender in the implementation phase of the PANByCC. Development of the plan followed a participatory process – stakeholders at the local level were involved through multi-sectoral regional meetings where provincial working groups prioritized interventions and actions for implementation. Moreover, guidelines on consultations with indigenous peoples are also being developed.
Partnerships
Through the joint work with the National Direction on Climate Change, the National Direction on Forests and the related provincial governments, UNREDD maintains an active partnership with the Climate Change and Forest Commission of the Federal Council for the Environment, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the FCPF programme, the ForestAr 2030 Initiative and various research and scientific institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations.
Linkages to SDGs
The PANByCC has served as an important opportunity to integrate the national development plans related to NDCs and the Sustainable Development Agenda. Beyond the direct impact that forestation, forest conservation and forest restoration have on SDGs 13 and 15, a national policy proposal about integrating cattle ranching with forests to reduce its impact on deforestation is now central to the country’s rural development framework. This policy will impact directly on SDG 12 (sustainable farming) and will support actions related to SDG 13 (climate mitigation) and SDG 15 (safeguarding and restoring forests).
