LIMA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Governors and representatives of nearly 40 regional governments around the world are gathering in Peru for a global meeting on climate, the Amazon and tropical forests.

Under the banner "Exchange of Experiences," the Oct. 10-13 gathering has drawn governors and specialists from countries including Brazil, Colombia, the United States and Indonesia to discuss best practices in environmental conservation.

Some 500 delegates and 70 institutions from these countries are meeting in the cities of Moyobamba and Tarapoto, in Peru's northern department of San Martin, for the event organized by the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF Task Force).

San Martin Governor Pedro Bogarin told Xinhua Tuesday that the event will showcase experiences in sustainable forest management presented by indigenous communities, non-governmental organizations and private enterprises in the department.

San Martin is home to the "largest nurseries" in Peru, and has many ideas to contribute to the world, especially because it has been implementing aggressive policies in reforestation, Bogarin said.

"At the nurseries, we have forest, medicinal, ornamental and agricultural plants ... we have planted 10 million so far," said Bogarin, who is also co-president of the GCF Task Force.

Peru's government has linked public works and environmental management, he said, so when a budget is approved for a project, authorities are called on to "compensate" by planting a certain number of trees or plants.

"Say a mayor goes to the regional government to get a budget for a bridge or a school," Bogarin explained. "We say the amount we are going to invest."

Then, depending on how much money is invested, there is a chart that determines "he has to plant 100,000 or one million plants to environmentally compensate for the budget," he added.

This scheme is extremely important because it is necessary to move from talking to taking action, "and thus advance in the defense of our forests," which have been severely neglected in recent years, he said.

Established in 2008, the Governors' Climate & Forests Task Force is now the world's leading subnational collaboration of states and provinces working to reduce deforestation and advance low-emissions development. Enditem

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