Lima, Peru

Just months before Lima hosts over 190 countries to advance international climate negotiations at COP 20, Katoomba XX Peru will identify opportunities for climate policy and finance to align with other public and private investments and commitments to ensure that forests and other ecosystems continue to provide critical support for stable climate and resilient societies. Peru faces challenges that are reflected throughout the region: the very demand for resources and productive land that is driving economic growth is also threatening the diverse ecosystems that have sustained vibrant communities for thousands of years. Changes in land use and climate are equally impacting forests, freshwater, and coastal and marine ecosystems – precariously weakening the ability of these systems to provide food, water, and economic security.

The conventional approach to addressing these problems in a piecemeal way is plainly insufficient to meeting the challenge. For example, one recent study found that while current agricultural subsidies in at least one Andean country would likely be wholly sufficient to transition the country to a model of rural development that supported its goals of low emissions, low deforestation, and high productivity, the lack of strategic alignment of these subsidies has prevented this opportunity from being realized. The Government of Peru has recently taken several innovative strides to channel and strengthen investments in nature, including establishing a national incubator for ecosystem service projects, enacting new regulations for ecosystem services and no-net-loss of biodiversity for large development projects, studying the impact of climate change on water availability, and designing a national forestry strategy that strategically leverages domestic and international forest carbon financing. We must learn from and build upon these innovations while creatively identifying opportunities for aligning public and private investment as part of a comprehensive strategy for climate, forests, and water. Can we design finance for low-carbon energy that also supports climate-smart watershed management? Can we anticipate the socioeconomic impacts of climate change on our coastal and marine systems, targeting investments in food and economic security for affected populations? Can we leverage investments in infrastructure necessary for economic growth to strengthen the ability of forests to sequester carbon and support vibrant biodiversity?

Katoomba XX will convene policymakers, scientists, financiers, business leaders, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGO leaders, and community leaders to help to build a strategic, broad vision for the region, forge alliances, and mobilize momentum for using creative incentives, market-like mechanisms, and benefit-sharing agreements to channel investments to forests and watersheds for regional resilience in a changing climate.