Risks and opportunities for nature-based solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines Nature-based solutions (NbS) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), detailing their potential for climate mitigation and adaptation alongside significant risks regarding biodiversity, land rights, and greenwashing.

• Nature-based solutions (NbS) are defined as actions that address societal challenges through the protection, sustainable management, and restoration of natural and modified ecosystems to benefit both human well-being and biodiversity. While NbS could potentially mitigate 10-12 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year—approximately 27% of current annual global emissions—they cannot replace the necessity for deep and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
• In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), NbS are increasingly integrated into climate targets. Of 16 EUROCLIMA+ programme countries in the region, 10 explicitly adopt an NbS or Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Common regional applications include forest conservation and reforestation, coral reef and mangrove restoration, and the use of vegetation on slopes to prevent landslides.
• Restoring degraded lands in LAC offers significant economic potential. A 2016 projection estimated that restoring 20 million hectares of degraded land—an area roughly half the size of Paraguay—could generate USD 23 billion over 50 years through carbon capture, ecotourism, and increased agricultural productivity.
• NbS implementation in LAC faces funding gaps and operational hurdles. A 2020 study of 156 NbS projects in the region found that 53% were still in the preparation phase and not yet implemented. Nearly 75% of these projects rely on grants, and 60% are actively seeking further investment.
• The region's critical ecosystems are under severe threat, which NbS aim to address. The Amazon lost 30.7 million hectares of primary forest between 2002 and 2022. Additionally, the degradation of the Mesoamerican Reef—spanning Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico—could cause an average annual economic loss of USD 3.1 billion across coastal development, commercial fisheries, and tourism.
• NbS carry substantial risks of biodiversity loss and human rights violations. The push for large-scale carbon sequestration may lead to the expansion of monoculture plantations and 'land grabs' disguised as climate action, which threaten food sovereignty and displace Indigenous and local communities from their lands.
• There is a significant risk that NbS will be used for 'greenwashing' by polluting corporations in the fossil fuel, agribusiness, and forestry sectors to avoid changing their business models. Furthermore, the financialisation of natural resources through complex carbon markets may reinforce power imbalances between the Global North and Global South.

APA

Team, Z. (2024). Risks and opportunities for nature-based solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/risks-and-opportunities-for-nature-based-solutions-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. Risks and opportunities for nature-based solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2024. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/risks-and-opportunities-for-nature-based-solutions-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=Risks and opportunities for nature-based solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=18 October 2024 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/risks-and-opportunities-for-nature-based-solutions-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2024risks, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{Risks and opportunities for nature-based solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/insights/briefings/risks-and-opportunities-for-nature-based-solutions-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }