AmaZONAS Andinas

**The due date for the first round of applications is July 8, 2011 at Noon EST**The purpose of this Annual Program Statement (APS) is to call for applications for assistance related to AmaZONAS Andinas, a collaborative effort among USAID Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (USAID/LAC), the U.S. Department of State (Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs), and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. These parties are referred to throughout this APS as USAID, DOS, and the Moore Foundation, respectively.The overarching goals of AmaZONAS Andinas is to reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the forest and land use sector in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru through: (1) strengthening forest monitoring systems in each country, and (2) supporting one demonstration project in each country designed to show how, through combining a variety of flexible projects and programs, countries can move toward achieving net zero deforestation.The specific objectives of AmaZONAS Andinas are to:a. Build institutional and governance capacity at the national and sub-national level on forest monitoring and to manage forest resources sustainably and for reduced emissions; this includes work to enhance regional efficiencies and information sharing.b. Develop demonstration projects in defined geographies in each country that demonstrate and test approaches to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), focus on at-risk forests, achieve impact at scale, and that influence and improve larger land use planning, policy processes and forest conservation goals in each country in a way that demonstrates how to move toward net zero deforestation at scale in the longer-term.c. Improved stakeholder consultation, particularly with indigenous communities and local NGOs.