CAF Signs Agreement with The Nature Conservancy

(Playa del Carmen, November, 2013). Enrique Garcia, Executive President of CAF ―Development Bank of Latin America― signed a cooperation agreement with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) during his participation as advisor in the III Annual Meeting of the Latin America Conservation Council (LACC), which took place in Mexico.

"This agreement will enable to go further in aspects related to early evaluation, focused on identifying the environmental risks and opportunities of projects in Latin America" stated CAF's Executive President when exiting the ceremony.

The topics that will be covered in the mentioned agreement focus on strengthening institutional capacities to prepare and implement public policies that contribute to mitigate the environmental impact generated by the development of infrastructure in the region.

In the beginning, technical assistance will be provided to the provincial governments of Neuquen and Chubut in Argentina; and the National Government of Peru, through the Ministry of the Environment. This cooperation seeks to generate a high demonstrative impact for other countries in the region, as well as strengthen the process of environmental licensing in Argentina and Peru.

Finally, in the framework of its vision to promote the productive transformation in the region, TNC and CAF will explore new areas of cooperation in 2014, especially in the promotion of productive best practices in addition to the adoption and development of a range of technologies, and in coordinating alliances between the public and private sectors.

This cooperation lies within the framework of the Latin American Conservation Council, committed to address the great environmental and development challenges in the region: water security, food security, and intelligent infrastructure. Up to now, diverse efforts have converged to promote, for example, projects that help ensure water resources in cities with a high risk of scarcity, such as the Water Funds; public-private alliances that promote sustainable practices in agricultural and livestock production in Brazil and other countries; multi-sectorial cooperation in comprehensive management programs for basins such as that of the Magdalena in Colombia or Tapajos in Brazil, and offer scientifically based information so that projects dealing with infrastructure may prevent, minimize, or compensate their environmental impact.

The Latin American Conservation Council (LACC) is an unprecedented group of political and entrepreneurial leaders that cooperate with TCN, the largest environmental organization in the world. It is made up by more than 30 global leaders with strong ties in the region , and it promotes the protection of nature and an effective management of the resources that it contributes in favor of a sustainable prosperity for future generations in Latin America. To learn more about the Council, visit: http://www.nature.org/LACC.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a leading conservation organization which works around the world to preserve land and waters that are ecologically important for nature and people. To date, TNC and its more than one million members have helped protect more than 52 million hectares in the world. To learn more, visit: http://mundoTNC.org.

CAF ―Development Bank of Latin America― has the mission of promoting sustainable development and regional integration through financing for projects in the public and private sectors, technical cooperation, and provision of other specialized services. Established in 1970, and currently including 18 countries ―16 from Latin America and the Caribbean, in addition to Spain and Portugal― and 14 private banks, it is one of the main sources of multilateral financing and an important generator of knowledge in the region. For more information, see www.caf.com.

Photograph: © Erika Norteman/The Nature Conservancy