The Nature Conservancy’s Paula Caballero Discusses Sustainable Development in LAC
On September 7, 2023, the Georgetown Americas Institute welcomed Paula Caballero, regional managing director for Latin America at the Nature Conservancy, to discuss the organization’s efforts on sustainable development and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, in a conversation moderated by GAI Founding Director Alejandro Werner.
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is home to a significant amount of the world’s natural resources with one-third of its fresh water, a quarter of its rainforests, and half of its species. These resources are currently threatened by the destructive impacts of climate change. According to Caballero, who worked on the creation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, new frameworks must be created to rethink the roles of NGOs, governments, multilateral organizations, and individuals in combating global warming. In this context, Latin America and the Caribbean have an important role to play.
Radical Collaboration and Reimagining Nature’s Benefits
Global warming has already hit a critical point, averaging a 0.2 degree Celsius increase per decade, which in turn acidifies oceans, melts glaciers, and causes a higher frequency of floods and droughts which negatively impact food, water, and housing for millions in the Global South and beyond. Caballero emphasized that, given the seriousness of the current situation, small adjustments will not be sufficient to mitigate global warming. In her opinion, a world that is changing rapidly with new developments in technology and the movement of people requires ambitious and systemic responses, specifically from governments and the financial sector.
Caballero explained that there are three types of capital that can support the transition to a more sustainable society: natural, economic, and social. She advised that solutions must be found that either grow the three capitals, or at least do not grow one at the expense of the others. In general, people find it difficult to understand the monetary value of what nature is providing, a misconception that Caballero wishes to correct.
We have to develop innovative finance mechanisms, something the Nature Conservancy is very good at, because we need to blend different sources of finance for transformative change.” - Paula Caballero
Caballero also emphasized a message of radical collaboration and the need to address climate change differently than it has been in the past. She advised that we need to not just look at root causes, which are important, but we also need to understand how these causes interact and how they generate trade-offs across timespans, sectors, and stakeholders.
Caballero introduced the concept of natural climate solutions (NCS), defined by the Nature Conservancy as “actions to protect, better manage, and restore nature to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and store carbon.” In reference to the Paris climate agreements, Caballero stated that the 1.5 degree Celsius target cannot be reached without nature. In fact, at least one-third of the changes needed to get us to the 1.5 degree maximum of global temperature rise called for in the Paris agreements can come through NCS via technology that has already proven effective and cost efficient.
LAC’s Untapped Potential
In LAC in particular, the potential for natural climate solutions is enormous. Already 20% of global carbon offsets come from LAC, and no other region has greater potential for delivering on this front. According to Caballero, Latin America also has the unique advantage of unity in the effort to combat climate change because it is an entire continent that, broadly speaking, shares languages and culture. In this way, the LAC region has the opportunity to become a global leader in regional collaboration to combat climate change.
The Nature Conservancy in Action
The Nature Conservancy is the world’s largest environmental agency. The organization is deeply science-based and has the special ability to bridge work across a wide-range of stakeholders. Its engineers provide durable shifts for sustainable pathways and have a clear focus on the levers of change: policy, markets, finance, mindsets, and behaviors. Caballero noted that issues many think are purely environmental, such as water and land management, are actually economic issues that demand systematic interventions.
Case Studies: Pará and the Maya Forest
Caballero detailed two case studies to demonstrate the Nature Conservancy’s method towards place-based solutions. TNC has been fighting rampant deforestation in the state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon, where 20% of the destruction of forests in the last 30 years took place. She explained that drivers of deforestation cannot be addressed on a case-by-case basis, but rather the issue requires integrated solutions to strengthen the bioeconomy.
In Pará, TNC works with both large and small cattle ranchers on individual cases and pushes for changes in the beef industry, ensuring transparency through the whole process so slaughterhouses buy cattle that are certified to have been born and raised with no deforestation print. They also work with Indigenous groups to create funds, and together they manage to shift to agroforestry processes including cacao and a combination of crops to ensure greater quality of life in the long term. All of these efforts include collaboration with the state government in Pará.
Another success story comes from the Maya Forest and Rio Bravo region of Belize, which is home to the second largest tropical rainforest in LAC. From 1998 to 2008, almost a quarter of this area was deforested. Since then, TNC has acquired 100,000 acres and prevented its conversion into agricultural land. Now the organization safeguards 10 percent of Belize’s forests, working with communities to conserve natural resources.
Case Study: Ranching
Caballero offered ranching as a case study of TNC working on sector-based solutions. The organization works with large and small landowners to better manage agriculture. Caballero emphasized that solutions must be local and specific while reflecting the global context. For instance, LAC supplies the world with 20 percent of agricultural products, and the intensity of that demand is increasing. Shifting agricultural practices and conventional food production, particularly for resource-intensive products like beef, is fundamental and time-sensitive. TNC is currently working on engineering entire value chains to change the systems and generate benefits for soil health, biodiversity, increased productivity, resilience against climate threats, improved livelihoods, and improved economic diversification.
Through her remarks, Caballero stressed that the Nature Conservancy’s work is not about imposing solutions, but rather working with all stakeholders for mutually beneficial solutions. She concluded by reminding the audience that preserving the environment is not optional. The goal is to create sustainable equitable growth in ways that generate win-win scenarios. These solutions are going to take time, so we must start now.
A recording of this session is available on YouTube.