[{"bbox": [157, 152, 1071, 203], "category": "Text", "text": "representative organisations have been engaged in climate change adaptation and mitigation measures to date¹³."}, {"bbox": [157, 217, 1072, 483], "category": "Text", "text": "**Ecuador needs to prepare its land-use productive sector for the EU's deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR), preliminarily agreed upon in November 2022, and to enter into force within the next years.** Although Ecuadorian wood and bamboo exports to the EU are minimal (for 2022, wood exports to the EU reached EUR 39 million, whereas bamboo exports to the EU barely reach EUR 20 thousand), these values represent only a fractional part of the exports to the EU, which mostly rely on equally land-intensive agricultural products and fisheries, making Ecuador the EU's first organic products exporter. Primarily cocoa, but also palm oil, timber, and coffee exports will be affected by the EUDR. Cattle, soy, and rubber exports are also considered in the EUDR, but these products do not represent substantial Ecuadorian exports to the EU. In this context, some traceability projects have been led by the MAATE, yet their work is only at a pilot stage."}, {"bbox": [157, 496, 1027, 549], "category": "Text", "text": "Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:"}, {"bbox": [157, 562, 1062, 613], "category": "Text", "text": "**Members of the Team Europe Initiative:** ES (AECID), IT (AICS), HU (Hungarian Forest Research Institute)"}, {"bbox": [157, 627, 1071, 732], "category": "Text", "text": "Besides the two projects presented in this Action Document, there will be a LACIF blending project implemented by AFD focused on promoting bio-economy and bio-trade by developing forest-based value chains, for which there will be an EU contribution of EUR 7,000,000, and a loan made by AFD of around EUR 50,000,000."}, {"bbox": [157, 746, 1071, 984], "category": "Text", "text": "**Public sector:** Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), and the Ministry of Production, Trade, Investment and Fisheries (MPCEIP) and the Ministry of Labour (MINTRA). They are the national institutions competent to define and implement the national policies related to the environment, natural resources, forest management, climate change, value chains, agricultural productive activities, international labour standards and due diligence. Similarly, in the field of forest fires prevention and forestry surveillance, local firefighter's, the National Police, ECU 911, and the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI) are relevant institutions implementing services on forest fire prevention and response, and compliance with forest conservation normative."}, {"bbox": [157, 1023, 1071, 1157], "category": "Text", "text": "**Civil society:** The activities of this Action will need the support of the civil society, in particular those organisations working in the topics of deforestation, forest conservation, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture and relevant indigenous organisations. Due to their involvement during the programming phase of this Action, national and international NGOs present in Ecuador will support the development of the projects from the civil society sector."}, {"bbox": [157, 1207, 1071, 1530], "category": "Table", "text": "<table><thead><tr><th>Stake holders</th><th>Main interest of the project in relation to stakeholder</th><th>Level of Interest</th><th>Power</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Duty bearers</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE)</td><td>It has the portfolio of climate change and environment protection. In particular the Undersecretariat of Natural Heritage is in charge of the conservation of forests, managing the protected natural areas, and updating data on deforestation. The Undersecretariat will be particularly relevant in defining and implementing policies on forest management, forest fire</td><td>High</td><td>High</td></tr></tbody></table>"}, {"bbox": [147, 1590, 633, 1612], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ EU Guidance Note Disability inclusion in EU external action"}, {"bbox": [976, 1666, 1080, 1690], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 9 of 28"}]