Programa de Carbono Forestal, Mercados y Comunidades (FCMC)

The project supports USAID's efforts to reduce emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). FCMC has four technical areas related to REDD+ capacity building: Social and Environmental Integrity (SES), Carbon Finance and Markets (FCM), Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV), and Low Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS). The program also has staff dedicated to coordinating and integrating between the four technical areas. FCMC is supporting the development of a climate change action plan in the Department of Huila in Colombia, backed by LEDS and REDD+ strategies. In Colombia, FCMC works with the government on two complementary areas, MRV and SES, for REDD+ preparation. FCMC has also undertaken a Carbon Finance and Markets Analysis. All activities are identified and implemented jointly in collaboration with the Colombian government at the national and provincial levels, including the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS), the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), and the Corporación de Alto Magdalena (CAM) in Huila; in addition, FCMC partners, Conservation International (CI) and Terra Global Capital, contribute to relevant activities, as well as several government and non-governmental partners. FCMC is supporting the development of a low-emissions development strategy in the Department of Huila in collaboration with CAM and other local and international partners. The local organization coordinating FCM activities in Huila is a Colombian consulting firm, Grupo E3 – Ecología, Economía, Ética, led by Claudia Martínez. FCMC's focus in Huila is to support the regional government in developing and implementing a comprehensive plan of action to address climate change and development challenges. The approach integrates LEDS, REDD+, and land-use strategies within the framework of the Huila 2050 Climate Change Vision. Activities include generating information on land-use practices and trends, studying deforestation and degradation keys, and conducting detailed vulnerability assessments of all municipalities in the Department, resulting in a comprehensive climate change action plan for Huila. The plan will be informed by existing information, as well as new information generated by Abt Associates and the Stockholm Environmental Institute on hydrology and land-use maps in three watershed divisions with additional USAID funding. FCMC has completed an evaluation of REDD+ finance and market preparation in Colombia under the FCM technical area. The evaluation focused on Colombia's preparation to attract private finance and participation in payment-for-performance and market-based mechanisms for REDD+. Additionally, it contributed to the preparation of key requirements, including laws and policies to support REDD+ mitigation activities and private capital, institutional arrangements to direct REDD+ activities in a transparent and auditable manner, carbon accounting standards and measurement skills, benefit distribution and right holder protection, funding sources for REDD+, current mitigation activities, and domestic market development and international commitment. The report includes an assessment of the current state of these topics and recommendations for future work and is available in English and Spanish. Additional support after the report is in the planning phase. FCMC is implementing these activities to make a significant contribution to strengthening REDD+ capacity in Colombia, as well as meeting FCMC and USAID goals in the country. FCMC also seeks to coordinate with other REDD+ initiatives supported by the US government, such as SilvaCarbon for MRV and the BIOREDD USAID program, as well as other donors, including the FCPF, the UN-REDD Program, the World Bank, and other multilateral and bilateral development partners.