Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP)

The guide outlines the technical requirements for GCF projects focusing on ecosystems and ecosystem services under the Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It defines ecosystem services, explains the role of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in enhancing climate resilience, and advocates for natural capital accounting to shift investment paradigms. The document provides a framework for measuring impact through specific indicators and offers a matrix of eligible and ineligible activities to ensure projects maintain low environmental and social risk.

• The document defines 'ecosystems' as dynamic systems of plants, animals, and microorganisms interacting with a non-biological environment, and 'ecosystem services' as the benefits humans derive from these interactions, categorized into supply, regulation, base, and cultural services.
• Climate change accelerates ecosystem degradation through rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and sea-level rise, which threatens mangroves and wetlands. Conversely, intact ecosystems enhance human resilience and adaptation capacity, supporting a strong economic case for ecosystem-based investments.
• Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is identified as a nature-based solution that uses ecosystems and their services to reduce vulnerability and increase climate resilience, offering flexible and cost-effective measures that can also support mitigation and poverty alleviation.
• A significant barrier to investment in this sector is the reliance on incomplete cost-benefit analyses that exclude external costs like pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence from over 200 ecosystem restoration investments across nine biomes shows cost-benefit ratios ranging from 0.05:1 to 35:1, indicating frequent economic benefits.
• The document argues for a paradigm shift through the implementation of natural capital accounting (such as the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - SEEA). This would allow for the explicit quantification and attribution of ecosystem services in national planning, ensuring the long-term sustainability of investments.
• The GCF measures project impact through specific indicators, including the coverage/magnitude of protected ecosystems, the US dollar value of generated or protected ecosystem services, and the number of innovative technologies transferred to promote climate resilience.
• The SAP framework distinguishes between eligible and ineligible activities based on risk. Eligible activities include restoring degraded coastal mangroves and small-scale water conservation in arid lands. Ineligible activities include planting new mangrove species (due to potential negative impacts on wildlife habitats) or deep hydrological changes like river diversion.

APA

Sagar, A., & Kim, J. (n.d.). Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP). Green Climate Fund. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-los-ecosistemas-y-los-servicios-de-los-ecosistemas.pdf

Chicago

Sagar, Aarsi, and Juhern Kim. Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP). Green Climate Fund, n.d. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-los-ecosistemas-y-los-servicios-de-los-ecosistemas.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sagar |first1=Aarsi |last2=Kim |first2=Juhern |title=Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP) |publisher=Green Climate Fund |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-los-ecosistemas-y-los-servicios-de-los-ecosistemas.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sagarndsimplified, author = {Sagar, Aarsi and Kim, Juhern}, title = {{Simplified Approval Process DIRECTRICES TECNICAS DEL PROCESO DE APROBACIÓN SIMPLIFICADO (SAP)}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/directrices-te-cnicas-del-sap-los-ecosistemas-y-los-servicios-de-los-ecosistemas.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }