Panama: Information on the voluntary carbon market national day

Francisco Rivas R.
apronad@gmail.com

During the month of November from 2016, APRONAD has developed a day national of information about the market voluntary of carbon, in the provinces of Panama. In this way are addressed numerous requests from owners of forests, interested in learning about this subject.

They have organized workshops participatory, with an average of assistance of 100 owners by the workshop. When finished the cycle of workshops, have participated owners Panamanian of more than 15,000 hectares of forest primary and secondary.

The workshops have been entitled: "The market volunteer of carbon and the protection of the resource forest" and carried out in the facilities provided by the State universities of Panama.

The objectives of the workshops are:

1. Present the relationship between the changing climate and the protection of them resources forest.

2. Explain how works the market for those bonds of carbon.

3. Present the advantages and disadvantages of those standards more known VCS, GOLD STANDARD, SOCIAL CARBON, among others.

4. Present the guidelines of a project in the market voluntary of carbon.

5. Collect basic information on the owners of farms concerned, about the opportunities and challenges to develop the project.

The main questions of those participating is focused on: (a) the cost of the elaboration of the project; (b) costs for the validation of the project and the payment to the standards; (c) the mechanisms of marketing and the reliability of those intermediaries; (d) the commitments of the owners in the implementation phase of the projects and their participation in audits. In addition, everyone expects that the Panamanian State finish define the national strategy for the sector.

As a result of the workshops is estimated that more than 200 owners of near 20,000 hectares of forests will be ready to start the preparation of their projects in January of 2017.