Ecuador's Socio Bosque Programme

Ecuador's Socio Bosque programme provides annual per-hectare payments to private and communal landholders who maintain forest cover. While not originally designed for REDD+, it supports Ecuador's climate strategy by reducing deforestation and increasing the resilience of the rural poor. After three years, the programme covered 881,933 hectares through 1,566 agreements, though it faces challenges regarding land titling and high monitoring costs.

• The Socio Bosque programme operates through voluntary conservation agreements where the Ministry of Environment (MAE) provides annual monetary payments to private and communal landholders, including indigenous groups, in exchange for maintaining forest cover.
• In its first three years, the programme signed 1,474 agreements with individuals and 92 with communities, covering 881,933 hectares and benefiting 90,255 people, with a total investment of US$ 14.4 million.
• The programme prioritises areas based on three criteria: the threat of deforestation, importance for biodiversity habitat, water provision services and carbon storage, and local poverty levels.
• Payment levels are determined by the size of the area under contract to promote social equity, rather than by the opportunity costs of alternative land uses.
• A significant barrier to participation is the requirement for legal land titles, which many poor rural and indigenous communities in Ecuador do not possess.
• Monitoring has proven more expensive and difficult than expected due to cloud interference in satellite imagery and the high number of small land parcels, leading to administrative costs accounting for approximately 40% of the budget.
• While not explicitly designed for REDD+, the programme is a pillar of Ecuador's national REDD+ strategy because it aligns climate mitigation with poverty alleviation and ecosystem conservation.

APA

Felse, J. (2012). Ecuador's Socio Bosque Programme. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/resource/private-conservation-agreements-support-climate-action-ecuadors-socio-bosque-programme

Chicago

Felse, Jan. Ecuador's Socio Bosque Programme. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. https://cdkn.org/resource/private-conservation-agreements-support-climate-action-ecuadors-socio-bosque-programme.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Felse |first1=Jan |title=Ecuador's Socio Bosque Programme |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=18 September 2012 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/private-conservation-agreements-support-climate-action-ecuadors-socio-bosque-programme |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{felse2012ecuadors, author = {Felse, Jan}, title = {{Ecuador's Socio Bosque Programme}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, month = sep, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/private-conservation-agreements-support-climate-action-ecuadors-socio-bosque-programme}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }