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How a bug small as a water drop can destroy 100 million trees in three years?

March 20, 2019 por Ayme Sosa Villatoro - Omar Samayoa Leave a Comment


This is what happened in Honduras between 2013 and 2016, the pine weevil, a beetle the size of a drop of water attacked an area equivalent to 1 million soccer fields in forests (500,000 hectares). This represents 25% of the countries’ pine forest. Sadly, 100 million trees were destroyed. The affected area represents the loss of coverage that would have occurred in Honduras’ pine forest in the next 110 years with the current deforestation rates; contributing around 200 million tons of CO2. The pine forest is located around highly populated areas; it is essential in water production, which is currently threatened by deforestation.

How do we get to this catastrophic scenario? Five years of continuous drought affecting Central America due to the El Niño phenomenon and the difficulties of managing an extensive area of forests created the ideal conditions for the plague to attack. Unfortunately, it is not the first time this can occur; the weevil attacks cycles related to years of intense drought. These attacks occur every few decades; however, due to climate change, the frequency seems to be intensifying.

March 21st marks the international day of forests, and this scenario presents the need to find long-term comprehensive solutions that allow tackling the problem. Key actions are fundamental to address it:

1. Create a forecast of the plague occurrence.
2. Generate preventive action to promote resilient forests (stronger and healthier forests).
3. Involve local actors (communities, indigenous populations, local authorities, private entities, etc.) that allow responding in a faster and anticipated manner to the problem.

The IDB Group propel such actions through the project “Sustainable Forests Management” to promote the recovery of the affected areas attacked recently by the southern pine weevil and to set the conditions to avoid a recurrence with similar impacts.

22% of forests are in Latin America, and the forestry sector plays a fundamental role in the climate change compromises framed in the Paris Agreement and the National Determine Contributions. It is necessary to take care of our forests since they are the most critical element to adapt to climate change. Good forest management and proper governance are activities that we have to enhance to ensure the permanence of our forests and therefore accomplishment of the Paris Agreement. The IDB Group supports various strategic projects where it is vital to maintaining a resilient role in climate change.


Filed Under: Climate change

Ayme Sosa Villatoro

Ayme Sosa es experta en cambio climático de la Representación del BID en Guatemala desde el 2013. Especialista en REDD+, movilización de financiamiento climático, género y transversalización de cambio climático en proyectos sectoriales, instrumentos de política y planificación estratégica en países de Centroamérica. Asesora de Bancos Multilaterales de Desarrollo, sector público y privado, gobiernos locales, organizaciones comunitarias y de pueblos indígenas. Aymé es ingeniera forestal y cuenta con una Maestría en manejo de cuencas hidrográficas.

Omar Samayoa

Especialista de Cambio Climático del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID). Es Ingeniero Agrónomo y tiene una Maestría en Manejo de Recursos Naturales. Su experiencia es de más de 15 años en desarrollo rural, manejo de recursos naturales y Cambio Climático, especialmente en la región de Centroamérica. Ha sido negociador en la Convención Marco de Cambio Climático de las Naciones Unidas. Trabaja en apoyar a los países en Centroamérica en la transversalización de cambio climático a través del soporte de operaciones del BID.

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This blog is a space to reflect about the challenges, opportunities and the progress made by Latin American and Caribbean countries on the path towards the region’s sustainable development.

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