Payment for environmental services for the removal of sustainable forest carbon is an economic alternative that benefits landholders in the province of Las Tunas, both in the private and state sectors and contributes to the environment conservation.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- This is possible after the approval, in February, of Resolution 28 of 2024 of the Ministry of Agriculture, which establishes this possibility for natural or legal persons who carry out the sustainable management of an area of forest heritage.

This is an innovative financial mechanism, promoted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which in Cuba is accompanied by the international collaboration project Ecovalor, present in five of the country's territories, including Las Tunas.

Jorge Luis Padilla Carralero, technical and development director of the Las Tunas Agroforestry Company (EAF in Spanish), explained that the legal document allows Ecovalor to continue and that a few months ago his organization received benefits for the capture of atmospheric carbon.

The specialist added that, for this environmental indicator, the EAF received around 200,000 pesos, obtained after several management and conservation actions in 1,000 hectares of forest in the Charco Largo area, in the municipality of Puerto Padre.

Padilla Carralero pointed out that in Cuba, the Agroforestry Research Institute was designated as the entity that makes the calculations and certifies the volumes of carbon, based on the established methodology and in attention to various aspects.

Finally, he pointed out that the type of forest, the species that make up the forest, the size of the leaves, and whether they are evergreen trees, i.e. evergreen, with foliage that remains green and functional for more than one growing season, are taken into account.