The Peruvian government, with its multi-sectorial Committee on Environment, has set ambitious targets to improve its environmental management and the management of its resources. However, this is a major challenge for participating institutions at national and sub-national level.

The main objective of the Peruvian-German technical cooperation project “Contribution to the environmental objectives of Peru (ProAmbiente)” is to achieve national and sub-national goals for the sustainable use of ecosystems, conservation of biodiversity, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change.

In accordance with the objectives and strategies, the project strengthens the implementation of the Peruvian environmental and forest policy. The focus of the consultancy services are both to increase the capacity to control matters at national level and implementing them at regional level in regards to the environmental and forest management systems, as well as to strengthen the knowledge system and innovation management. The project is executed in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment (MINAM and its associate bodies SERNANP, SENACE, OEFA), the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI and its associate body SERFOR), and the Ministry of Finances (MEF), as well as selected regional governments, private sector organisations, civil society organisations and research institutions.

The project has four Fields of Action (FoA): (1) Protection and Sustainable Use of Forests; (2) Environmental Governance and Environmental Management, (3) Environmental and Climate Financing and (4) Innovations in the Area of Biodiversity. The intervention is applied at national and regional level, focusing on four Amazonian regions: Amazonas, San Martin, Ucayali and Madre de Dios.

The provided services are divided into the following thematic packages:

• "Innovation in the area of biodiversity": Improvement of general conditions for the development of innovation in the thematic area of biodiversity (agro-biodiversity, biological and genetic resources) by reinforcing the applied research and through the creation of innovation poles (government, academia, private sector) as well as incubators, which concentrate on selected value chains (wood, cocoa, medicinal plants and other). In addition, strengthening commercial possibilities for products related to (agro-) biodiversity and supporting the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol: a mechanism for the access to biological and genetic resources and benefit sharing (ABS).
• Advice in the area of processing and commercialization of timber in FoA 1
• Organisational Development: There are significant challenges for governmental institutions and the civil society to enlarge their efficiency and effectivity. The system assessment and the intersectoral agreement aim for the strengthening in regards to the implementation of management and monitoring systems / environmental and forest control, and thereby promoting an intersectoral joint vision, labour division and a more effective basis within the governmental structures.

Services Provided

Innovation in biodiversity:

• Technical assistance in the development of policies and instruments. Support in the design of strategic innovation projects
• Facilitation of planning and coordination at national and regional level: networks / platforms for research and innovation; exchanges and dissemination of good practices
• Linkages with international research centres specialized in biodiversity. Promotion of public private partnerships.
• Consultation specialised in traditional knowledge/ABS; Dissemination of tools, public-private-community contractual frameworks.

Processing and marketing of timber (province Ucayali):

• Development and strengthening of the entire value chain of wood, promotion of a sustainable forest activity in the Amazon region.
• Analysis of the regional and national wood market; identification of companies with the potential to increase economic productivity on legal timber; support in the upgrading of machines and increase of investments, improvement of business management capabilities.
• Support of production monitoring (Chain of Custody – COCs) for certification.

Organisational Development / OD:

• Support for the development and implementation of the Environmental Agenda 2015-2016.
• FoA 1: Support in the creation of SERFOR, an executive body of SINAFOR. Mapping, implementation and improvement of processes, job profiles; knowledge management and institutional innovation, ISO 9001: 2008. Assessment of the creation and implementation of the decentralized forest management system (SINAFOR).
• FoA 2 & 3: OD to strengthen the national and environmental management system and the two sub-systems “Sistema de Autorización del Impacto ambiental (SEIA)” and “Sistema Nacional de Fiscalización Ambiental (SINEFA)” in order to improve and disseminate tools and standardized participatory processes for environmental authorization (SENACE) and control / environmental monitoring (OEFA). Assessment of the use of environmental financial instruments.
• FoA 4: Assessment of improvements in the institutional framework in regards to support mechanisms for innovations in the field of biodiversity issues: MINAM, MINAGRI, CONCYTEC