- Land enrolled in payment for environmental services grew by 300,000 hectares, while the country sharpened its ability to control forest fires across protected wildlands.
- Over five years, the project trained more than 15,000 people and rallied close to 90 institutions, organizations and allies around a single goal: protecting Costa Rica's forests.
- Women's empowerment, Indigenous participation and the country's first deforestation-free exports set the results apart.
SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – August 28, 2026 – The USD 54.19 million that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) approved to Costa Rica in 2021, in recognition of the reduction of CO2 emissions achieved in 2014 and 2015, supported the strengthening of the National Strategy for the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). Today, that investment translates into more protected forests, greater capacity to control forest fires, strengthened climate action, and support for sustainable initiatives led by women and Indigenous Peoples, among other results.
From 2021 to 2026, the REDD+ Results-Based Payments (RBP) Project, led by the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica (MINAE) and executed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), managed these resources and drove initiatives that exceeded their initial goals.
The project focused on strengthening two flagship programs: the Payment for Environmental Services Program (PPSA) and the National Program for Integrated Fire Management (PNMIF), led by the National Forestry Financing Fund (FONAFIFO) and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), respectively. 86% of the funds from this project were transferred directly to these initiatives to strengthen them ($38.8 million to FONAFIFO and $7.7 million to SINAC).
In terms of forest protection, the project proposal was based on the recognition of actions already carried out under PPSA, so that the resources would allow the future expansion of PES on private farms and in Indigenous territories. At the end of the five-year execution period, the total area with PES contracts went from 280,000 ha to more than 580,900 ha of forest, toward which the project resources partially contributed. The project supports the Government's broader goals, through MINAE, of expanding forest conservation and including vulnerable populations, such as Indigenous territories.
On the management and prevention of forest fires that degrade forests, technical strengthening and specialized equipment provided to PNMIF helped the country reach a five-year average of 94% of forest fires attended in their initial phase (where control is more feasible and damage is lowest). In 2025, the country even reached 100% effectiveness in the early response to these emergencies. The project also invested more than $1.7 million in protective equipment and specialized vehicles for 10 conservation areas, and supported PNMIF with four forest fire prevention campaigns.
"The REDD+ RBP Project is a living testimony of what Costa Rica represents for the planet. Our forests are the engine of a model of social well-being and inclusion. By far exceeding each of the goals, Costa Rica demonstrates to the world that nature conservation is only sustainable when it is built hand in hand with its communities, its rural women and its Indigenous territories. This closing chapter is not the end of a road, but the foundation of an even greener, more equitable Costa Rica that continues to lead in the face of the challenges of global climate change," said Mónica Navarro, Minister of Environment and Energy.
"This project demonstrates that climate action can be translated into concrete, verifiable results capable of generating benefits for people and territories. Beyond exceeding its goals, it has left innovations with the potential for international replication, from incentives linked to measurable results to advances in the quantification of carbon in forest soils. Together with the Secretariat of the National REDD+ Strategy of MINAE, we have contributed to strengthening a model that connects conservation, evidence and financing, and that positions Costa Rica as a benchmark for climate innovation that can take these results even further," said Sandra Sosa, UNDP Resident Representative in Costa Rica.
A story told in numbers
The REDD+ RBP Project met expectations and demonstrated that ambitious goals are achievable when there is a strong institutional framework and the involvement of all national sectors, specifically in forest conservation, fire control and innovation in carbon emission reduction.
In terms of emissions reduction, with the support of the project, the country became the first in the world to sign an agreement to access climate finance through the LEAF Coalition, finalizing a historic sale of carbon credits for $11 million. In addition, working with the national coffee sector, the project supported the first national export of deforestation-free coffee to Europe in 2024, opening a market of very high value.
In addition, research was funded to account for the loss or gain of carbon from forest soils. This research opens up possibilities to account for the carbon stored by forests in the soil, design soil management strategies that allow for more carbon absorption, and unlock new sources of climate financing.
Equity, identity and climate justice
Behind this success is the effort of thousands of people and entities interested in forest protection who joined the project. More than 15,000 participants took part in training activities, and more than 11,000 Indigenous people were involved in the construction of 23 territorial forest environmental plans (PAFTs), through which they proposed nearly 2,000 projects for their communities.
The project coordinated nearly 90 groups related to the National REDD+ Strategy, including the National Forestry Office, the Costa Rican Coffee Institute, the Institute of Agrarian Development, the Regional Forestry Networks and others.