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BOLIVIA
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
PARAGUAY
MDG7
Progress Towards Environmental Sustainability
Paraguay recognizes the importance of mainstreaming environment into
its development policies in order for its development programmes to have
positive impact on the environment. Integration of environmentally sustainable
development policies into the national legal framework, as well
as the establishment of the Environment Secretariat have been positive
steps towards achieving MDG 7 in Paraguay.
PARAGUAY
Concepción
Asunción
Villarrica
ARGENTINA Encarnación
During the last decade, Paraguay’s forests have been decreasing as a result of the population’s heavy reliance on the
use of wood. By 1997, only 7% of the total land area was covered by forests. Intensive agriculture and rapid deforestation
are major constraints to environmental sustainability, resulting in soil erosion, sedimentation and the degradation of
natural resources.
Protected areas, which include national parks and biodiversity reserves, accounted for 5% of total land surface area in 2002. Half of
these protected areas are managed by the government and are in need of more public investment to increase environmental management
programmes for these parks.
The recently created Environment Secretariat aims to develop and implement environmental policies both nationally and regionally.
However, a low budget and weak legal framework will limit the impact of these policies.
From 1992 to 2002, the proportion of the population with access to safe drinking water increased from 25% to 53%. Seen through a
regional lens, 80% of urban residents and only 21% of rural residents
had access to safe drinking water. This vast inequality poses the
greatest challenge to the achievement of MDG target 10. Financial
resources are needed in order to fund improved infrastructure for
water facilities in order to increase these low coverage rates.
QUICK FACTS
CURRENT PORTFOLIO BUDGET
Total UNDP-GEF and Co-Finance: $12,250,550
Total UNDP and Co-Finance: $40,478,148
Total MPU and Bilateral: $725,537
Total: $53,454,235
Cumulative Total ODS Phased-Out:
90.0 ODP tonnes
Developing a Clear Vision for Environmental Conservation 2
Paraguay’s new environmental programmes will require fiscal
incentives or compensation mechanisms to promote and increase
management of the country’s natural resources. Adequate allocation
of financial resources towards environmental programmes will
help support the achievement of the MDG 7 targets for environmental
sustainability in Paraguay. 1
The project has also successfully contributed to promoting understanding of biodiversity in Paraguay, with a comprehensive
awareness campaign involving the mass distribution of brochures and posters highlighting Paraguay’s biodiversity, participation
in radio programmes and workshops throughout the country, lectures to students and, finally, community radio pro-
BIODIVERSITY
grammes that further promote Paraguay’s appreciation of pristine ecosystems.
BRAZIL
SPOTLIGHT
Deforestation and the destruction of native forests are among the most pressing environmental concerns in Paraguay. Forests
cover 58% of the land and represent a significant economic potential, therefore initiatives are required to improve environmental
management practices in the country, particularly in the forestry sector. A special emphasis is to be placed on greater public
participation in the sustainable management of resources and on the transfer of technologies and models that can contribute
to sustainable economic development.
To provide the required framework, and enable Paraguay to fulfil its commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD), UNDP supported Paraguay’s Secretariat of the Environment (SEAM) to develop a National Biodiversity Strategy and
Action Plan (NBSAP) and National Report to the CBD. This process, initiated in 2002, was funded by a US$ 137,000 grant from
GEF. The NBSAP lays out a strategy for the long-term protection and sustainable use of Paraguay’s biodiversity, and includes an
action plan to ensure its implementation.
The project’s major achievements include the submission of the First National Report to the CBD in 2003, the creation of the
NBSAP steering committee, made up of 19 representatives from government organizations, NGOs, and wildlife users, and the
preparation of the NBSAP document, through a highly participative process at the national level. It is noteworthy that there are
no precedents for these kinds of endeavors in Paraguay under the SEAM, which was created in 2000.
BRAZIL
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