Chile and China advance in work to face desertification and climate change

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Advancing in desertification control and ecological conservation and rehabilitation as measures to combat climate change are part of the agreement between the governments of Chile and China that the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) is currently working on with its counterpart in the Asian nation, the China Forest and Grassland Service.

The possibility of reaching an agreement between the two countries in these matters arose during 2018 after a Chinese delegation visited the work carried out by CONAF in the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve, in the Tarapacá Region, to control the progress of desertification in this protected wildlife area, where the work is focused on reforestation and efficient use of resources, especially water, in conjunction with the surrounding communities.

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Subsequently, in 2019, conversations and meetings continued to address all the fields that could be covered by the agreement. After the presidential tour that same year, a work plan was established, which, although it was affected by the pandemic, was resumed in 2020 and 2021 through online meetings to reach an agreement, which is in the hands of both countries.

In the case of Chile, efforts are being made by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Chilean Agricultural Attaché’s Office in China.

In the last meeting held the first week of this month, together with the ratification of the agreements between the parties, for the signing, which is expected to take place next January, a work program was defined with nine pillars, which are: Forestry Promotion, Technology, Desertification Control, Pests, Forest Fires, International Trade of Threatened Species included in CITES, Human Capital and Promotion of pulp and paper trade.

One of the aspects highlighted by CONAF’s executive director, Rodrigo Munita, who headed this meeting, was that “although we seek to strengthen and improve the work of our institutions in important matters such as desertification and climate change, what we ultimately seek is to transfer all this knowledge and techniques to rural communities so that they can face the challenges we have as a country in the face of climate change with better tools”.

In short, the agreement contemplates actions such as the exchange of experiences in forestry development for small and medium forest owners and indigenous communities or associations, as well as in national parks and reserves for the enrichment of native species, as a process of adaptation to climate change.