The REDD+ Sur del Meta project Bosques de Paz, Sustento de vida is located in the department of Meta, Colombia, and includes the municipalities of Vista Hermosa, Puerto Rico, Puerto Concordia and Puerto Lleras.

Strategic actions:

• Reduce the advance of deforestation in the region.
• Improve the living conditions of its local communities, who have been victims of the country’s historical armed conflict.

Due to the expansion of agriculture and the installation of grasslands for the development of extensive cattle ranching, the Sur del Meta area has suffered an increase in deforestation, thus diminishing the richness of the local biodiversity.

By protecting 77,162.3 hectares of natural forest, the Sur del Metal project will achieve an average reduction of 374,315 tCO2 per year. Through training and capacity building, local communities will be empowered to increase their forest governance, bringing direct and indirect benefits to the inhabitants of the four municipalities.

Future steps:

Since the project is expected to have a lifetime of 30 years (until 2048), getting it to the next level means to expand the reach of the project, benefiting a broader number of people and municipalities in the department of Meta, Colombia.

Furthermore, it is expected to widen the extent of the project in geographical terms, increasing the hectareas of protection of the natural forests, flora and fauna. This will also mean not only protecting the region’s biodiversity but actively conserving and increasing it.