PRIVATE CAPITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
Project Summary
WWW.BOSQUES-AMAZONICOS.COM
PRIVATE CAPITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
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sustainable forestry
Bosques Amaz贸nicos (BAM) is a Peruvian company dedicated to the conservation, protection, restoration and sustainable management of tropical forests in the Amazon. BAM projects generate a variety of high quality products (carbon credits, timber and other forest products) and revenues ensuring long-term project stability and benefitting local communities.
conservation
reforestation
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www.bosques-amazonicos.com
Brief history of BAM Bosques Amaz贸nicos was set up in 2004 to develop new, sustainable models for conservation and reforestation in the Peruvian Amazon. Key goals were the restoration of degraded land using valuable timber and the preservation of natural habitat in endangered areas. Importantly, BAM aimed to achieve these objectives in a financially sustainable way through sales in the emerging carbon markets. In 2007, BAM began reforesting degraded land in Eastern Peru, using native species. The following year, the company agreed to finance the conservation of the iconic Bahuaja Sonene National Park and the Tambopata National Reserve. By the end of 2009, BAM had established two further forest protection projects in close collaboration with local forest concessioners in Madre de Dios. BAM projects have gone from strength to strength, winning awards and attracting international clients. They combine excellent business models with ecological and social integrity and set an important precedent with regard to promoting the wellbeing of local communities. On all BAM projects, careful monitoring is carried out to measure carbon sequestration and/or emission reduction in accordance with the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) program. This program is designed to function as a market based mechanism, funding protection of the world's most important and vulnerable ecosystems, and helping reduce global warming. Forest destruction is responsible for approximately twenty percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions and is a leading cause of climate change; tropical deforestation is estimated to release more carbon per year than the global transport system.
Our projects A best-practice model for tropical forestry and sustainable development, this award-winning project comprises 18,000 hectares of privately owned rainforest and pasture lands in Ucayali, in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon basin. The project includes a new plantation of valuable tropical timber on degraded pasture lands.
BRAZIL NUT CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
Ucayali
SMALL FORESTRY CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
BAHUAJA-TAMBOPATA REDD PROJECT
This project aims to prevent deforestation and improve the long-term financial and environmental sustainability of traditional nut harvesting on 500,000 hectares of concession land in the southeastern region of the Peruvian Amazon. BAM is working in partnership with the Madre de Dios Federation of Brazil nut Concessioners (FEPROCAMD). BAM has partnered with the Madre de Dios Federation of Small Forestry Concessioners (FEFOREMAD) to improving forestry practices, boost local incomes and protect 85,000 hectares of concessions from illegal deforestation activities. FEFOREMAD comprises around 200 members, with the average concession averaging 500 hectares. Bosques Amaz贸nicos is funding conservation and carbon monitoring on 550,680 hectares of the Bahuaja Sonene National Park and Tambopata National Reserve. The site is famous worldwide for its pristine tropical forest and rich biodiversity.
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Location
Project locations
BRAZIL NUT CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
Peru Brazil
SMALL FORESTRY CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
Ucayali
Madre de Dios
BAHUAJA-TAMBOPATA REDD PROJECT
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Deforestation
The future path of deforestation Current forecasts for the Amazon reveal a bleak picture of fragmentation and degradation which will destroy species, increase global warming and could disrupt global weather patterns. BAM is helping protect the Amazon through groundbreaking projects which combine social and environmental benefits with longterm financial sustainability.
IA - Iniciativa Amaz贸nica https://sites.google.com/site/rediamazonica/
Social development
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Working in partnership with local communities In all projects developed by BAM, local stakeholders share in economic benefits and are involved in all stages of planning and implementation, enhancing project effectiveness and long-term sustainability. Higher employment levels and living standards are helping local communities protect and take pride in their astonishing environmental heritage. BAM projects bring diverse social benefits, including: ? Job creation (forest rangers; plantation workers; processing plant workers, etc); ? Capacity building and transfer of new technologies, skills and knowledge; ? Empowerment of communities through involvement in decision-making; ? Legal support to project partners as required; ? Financing activities that strengthen local Federations, enabling concessioners to autonomously protect their interests (i.e.
to achieve better returns on their products, effectively protect their concessions, etc). ? Provision of expertise and support as required/requested, with a focus on holistic, collaborative and integrated solutions.
BAM REDD projects are rooted in consultative processes. BAM maintains constant contact with key stakeholders, including local communities, local governments and federal government. Supporting sustainable development across Peru BAM is part of the national REDD round table, a joint initiative by nearly fifty NGOs, governments and private companies, which supports the development of REDD projects and processes in Peru, sharing key information about REDD technologies, methodologies, initiatives, projects and research. BAM also introduced and supported the regional government of Madre de Dios in its successful application to membership, as an observer, of the Governor's Climate and Forest Task Force (GCF), a unique collaboration between fifteen states and provinces from the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Mexico. This Task Force seeks the integration of REDD and other forest carbon activities into emerging greenhouse gas compliance regimes in the United States and elsewhere. The Madre de Dios Government has the potential to seek full membership in the future.
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www.bosques-amazonicos.com
Campo Verde nursery - Ucayali.
A blueprint for a greener landscape: award-winning reforestation in the heart of the Amazon
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8 A blueprint for a greener landscape: award-winning reforestation in the heart of the Amazon CAMPO VERDE REFORESTATION
Widely viewed as a best-practice model for tropical forestry and sustainable development, this awardwinning project has seen 1,000 hectares of degraded pasture reforested with two million valuable native trees. Long term financial stability is effected through sales of carbon credit and sustainably harvested timber. The project is supported by a state-of-the-art tree nursery, with a production capacity of one million trees per year.
Mapa Mapa
Campo Verde
Campo Verde: a best-practice model of tropical forestry and
Status
Operating, Project validated under the VCS and CCBA by Tuv Sud
Land area
1,000 hectares
Location
Campo Verde, Ucayali, Peru
Methodology
AR-AM 0003 Version 04 ‘Afforestation and reforestation of degraded land through tree planting, assisted regeneration and control of animal grazing’
Standard
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA)
Registry
The project is is registered in the Nyse Blue VCS Registry
Verified Carbon Units 170,000 tCO2 in the next 10 years
www.bosques-amazonicos.com
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Working in Campo Verde nursery.
Recognition for Campo Verde ? The first commercial reforestation project with native species to be validated under the Verified Carbon Standard
(VCS), the most widely used carbon accounting standard among projects in the voluntary market. ? Awarded maximum Gold level certification by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), in
recognition of its effectiveness in mitigating climate change and promoting biodiversity and sustainable development. ? Campo Verde is registered in the NYSE Blue VCS Registry, a trusted and secure platform for issuing, tracking and
retiring Verified Carbon Units (VCUs). ? Awarded the 2010 National Renewable Natural Resources Eco-Efficiency Business Award by Peru's Ministry for the
Environment and Universidad CientĂfica del Sur. ? Featured as a model for sustainable development in numerous news reports and a television program presented by
Peru's Minister for the Environment.
Project Background Campo Verde comprises low-grade pasture land and forest which was deforested in the 1960s. The site history reveals a pattern of unsustainable logging and farming which is typical across the Amazon, and has resulted in the conversion of vast swathes of pristine forest to unproductive pastures that sequester little carbon. Following the extraction of valuable timber, land is burned to make way for arable farming. Without its natural forest cover, the soil degrades rapidly, until the land is eventually abandoned or converted to ranching. Non-native grass species rapidly cover the soil, making it difficult for native species to regenerate, and making the land more vulnerable to fire.
10 A blueprint for a greener landscape: award-winning reforestation in the heart of the Amazon
Campo Verde nursery.
Long-term environmental and social impact Reforestation at Campo Verde has already resulted in cleaner waterways and increasing biodiversity. This flagship project serves as a model for BAM to replicate and expand elsewhere in the region. BAM privately owns more than 18,000 hectares of degraded forest and pasture within Ucayali, and the need for further reforestation is evident across the region. In the ten years to 2000, annual deforestation was just under 8,000 hectares and accumulated regional deforestation totaled 627,064 hectares. The local community participates extensively in planning and development. BAM has invested heavily in capacity building, teaching reforestation techniques and nursery and plantation management. Independent nurseries established for local workers have supplied plants to the Campo Verde project over the last two years. Campo Verde employs 350 personnel and hiring practices favor local candidates.
www.bosques-amazonicos.com
BRAZIL NUT CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
Annual meeting with Brazil Nuts concesionaires.
In a nutshell: effective community-based conservation on Brazil nut Concessions
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12 In a Nutshell: Effective community-based conservation on Brazil nut concessions BRAZIL NUT CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
Deforestation Redd project Brazil Nuts concessions
deforestation 2010 - 2040 2010 2015
2020 2025
2030
2035 2040
BAM is working with the Madre de Dios Federation of Brazil nut concessioners (FEPROCAMD) to prevent deforestation and protect biodiversity on 500,000 hectares of rainforest concessions. Concessioner communities are highly dependent on local ecosystems, but have few resources with which to protect their concessions. The project will empower them by increasing the economic value of the healthy forest and the income generated by sustainable Brazil nut harvesting. Unlawful agricultural and logging activities threaten to fragment these valuable forest concessions, making them more vulnerable to fire. There are currently no systems in place to prevent this illegal deforestation, which has increased significantly as a result of an influx of migrants working on the InterOceanic Highway.
Brazil nut concessions of Madre de Dios
Mapa Mapa
More than 350 thousand hectares of Brazil nuts forest to conserve.
Status
Operating, Project under VCS validation by Scientific Certification Systems
Land area
Approx. 350,000 hectares
Location
Madre de Dios, Peru
Methodology
REDD Methodology Module
Methodology Element Developer Avoided Deforestation Partners Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community Standard & Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) Registry
The project will be registered in Markit Environmental Registry
Verified Carbon Units
Approx. 14.5 MtCO2 in the next 10 years
Benefit Sharing
Carbon Credits and Brazil nuts processing plant revenues
www.bosques-amazonicos.com
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Deforestation in Brazil nuts concessions - Madre de Dios
The concessions comprise rich primary rainforest, a precious habitat for countless plant and animal species, and a vital resource for traditional communities. Currently, the concessionaires only undertake subsistence Brazil nuts collection and, in very few cases, subsistence forestry within the project area. The project will reduce deforestation through activities directed at increasing the concessionaires’ sustainable income and adding value to their forest. This, in turn, will allow the concessionaires to mitigate and oppose the main deforestation threats present in the area.
Project strategy BAM is empowering concessioners to protect their land and livelihood in the following ways.
1. Increasing the economic value of the healthy forest ? A new processing facility will increase the market value of the sustainably harvested nuts. By-products of the
peeling and selection process will be used to produce five further high-value marketable commodities, including nut oil and soap. ? Saleable REDD carbon credits will be generated through avoided deforestation and conservation activity on the
concessions. A part of this income will be used to subsidize reforestation activities. ? Concessioners and their families will benefit from increased work and income opportunities in forest management
and nut processing. This is particularly valuable during the eight calendar months when Brazil nut harvesting is not performed.
2. Implementation of a forest monitoring and surveillance system Deforestation risks will be identified early via a participative monitoring framework including check-points and continuous patrols.
3. Strengthening legal and administrative frameworks BAM supports FEPROCAMD by financing all administrative procedures required under Peruvian law, strengthening the capacity of the federation.
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In a nutshell: effective community-based conservation on Brazil nut concessions
Brazil nuts tree.
Guardian of the forest: A Brazil nut concessioner's story Drive from Puerto Maldonado along the InterOceanic Highway in the direction of Brazil, and you will arrive at the small village of Alegria, or Happiness, home to Peruvian concessioner Felicitas Ramirez. Felicitas earns her living as a Brazil nut harvester, working a 330-hectare tract of primary forest three kilometers from the village. Felicitas has exclusive rights over all Brazil nuts grown in the concession, and knows every one of its valuable trees by heart – their exact location, their productivity, their history: some, after all, she has grown from seedlings, in the lighter spaces created by falling trees. By protecting the trees, Felicitas protects a large tract of forest high in biodiversity. Passing under the green humming canopy, she pauses to collect leaves, or points out plants with strange names and valuable medicinal properties: That is 'uña de gato', she says, and there is 'sangre de palo'. But at the edge of her concession, the vista changes. Felicitas' neighbour has decided to use his land for agriculture. His land is empty of trees, the area burned. 'I am lucky' says Felicitas, 'my neighbour respects my boundaries.' She is right: land clearances within concession borders are notoriously common. Still, her neighbour's decision is bad news. Slashing and burning trees inevitably damages adjoining ecosystems, threatening bee populations, vital pollinators for the precious Brazil nut. Further economic and environmental threats are posed by the increasing numbers of outsiders who make use of the new highway for quick getaways. Nut theft and illegal logging is rife. 'When the trees fall across the path,' Felicitas exclaims, 'we are even happy, because those guys with motorbikes cannot come in and steal… Sometimes people even come by my house and ask if Felicitas is around; it is so that they can go in peace and steal.' With little support from authorities, the solution to these problems must lie with the concessioners themselves. BAM's investment in the Federación de Productores de Castaña de Madre de Dios (FEPROCAMD) is designed to empower concessioners to clearly demarcate and, importantly, defend their boundaries. Carbon credit sales and a nut processing plant will improve the financial returns of sustainable nut harvesting, reducing the temptation to convert land to other uses. As Felicitas explains, it has given the concessioners new hope: “We can look after our forest and also ourselves. Things will get better now.” Felicitas Ramírez
www.bosques-amazonicos.com
SMALL FORESTRY CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
An aerial view of small forestry concessions.
Out of the Woods: Sustainable Forestry and Conservation for threatened small timber concessions
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16 Out of the Woods: Sustainable Forestry and Conservation for threatened small timber concessions SMALL FORESTRY CONCESSIONS REDD PROJECT
Deforestation Redd project small forestry concessions
deforestation 2010 - 2040 2010 2015
2020 2025
2030
2035 2040
BAM has partnered with the Madre de Dios Federation of Small Forestry Concessions (FEFOREMAD) to protect and conserve 85,000 hectares of small forestry concessions. The FEFOREMAD comprises 200 members, and concession sizes average 500 hectares. BAM has developed a long-term strategy to increase the income derived from environmentally sustainable forestry and empower concessioners to protect their natural resources. The project supports FCS training and certification, and the establishment of a low-cost sawmill and processing plant will enable concessioners to sell value-added products. This project empowers local people to protect their forests against illegal mining and slash-and-burn clearances. Unlawful deforestation has increasingly spread into concession land in recent years.
The small forestry concessions
Mapa Mapa
85,000 hectares of small forestry concessions.
Status
Operating, Project under VCS validation by Scientific Certification Systems
Land area
85,000 hectares
Location
Madre de Dios, Peru
Methodology
REDD Methodology Module
Methodology Element Developer Avoided Deforestation Partners Standard
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA)
Registry
The project will be registered in Markit Environmental Registry
Verified Carbon Units
Approx. 10 MtCO2 in the next 10 years
Benefit Sharing
Carbon Credits and sawmill’s revenue
www.bosques-amazonicos.com
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Deforestation by Illegal mining in Madre de Dios
This project empowers local people to protect their forests against illegal mining and slash-and-burn clearances. Unlawful deforestation has increasingly spread into concession land in recent years. Currently, the concessionaires only undertake subsistence Brazil nuts collection and, in very few cases, subsistence forestry within the project area. The project will reduce deforestation through activities directed at increasing the concessionaires’ sustainable income and adding value to their forest. This, in turn, will allow the concessionaires to mitigate and oppose the main deforestation threats present in the area.
Project strategy BAM is increasing the economic value of the healthy forest and empowering its local guardians in the following ways.
1. Increasing the value of the forest and concessioners' sustainable income ? An on-site sawmill and processing plant will double the market value of concessioners’ timber. ? FSC Certification in Forest Management will provide independent recognition of the environmental management
standards on the concessions and boost product value. ? Degraded concession areas will be reforested and enriched using finance from carbon credit sales. The
reforestation will capture further carbon.
2. Implementation of a forest monitoring and surveillance system Deforestation risks will be identified early via a participative monitoring framework including check-points and continuous patrols.
3. Strengthening legal and administrative frameworks BAM supports FEFOREMAD by financing all administrative procedures required under the Peruvian legal framework, strengthening its capacity.
18 Out of the Woods: Sustainable Forestry and Conservation for threatened small timber concessions
Small forestry concessionaires of Sarayacu Community - Madre de Dios.
Strength in numbers: Fighting illegal mining in Madre de Dios Nueva Arequipa lies at the heart of the recent Amazonian gold rush. All around, make-shift camps herald illegal alluvial gold mines, gaping expanses of white sand poisoned by mercury. This is also the location of La Pampa, a 2,500-hectare forest concession managed by Alfredo Vracko. In stark contrast to his neighbours, Alfredo is dedicated to using the rich resources of the Amazonian forest without destroying it. “I have an Annual Operations Plan.” Alfredo explains, “Every year I carry out assessments and create a schedule of which mature trees I will be extracting and when. I carry out minimum impact logging, and I leave the rest, or carry out activities to enrich it.” But the probable presence of gold deposits on his concession is jeopardizing Alfredo's work. He has already registered invasions to his property and there have been threats against his person. He is also increasingly anxious about illegal logging and theft. Unlike most concessioners, Alfredo owns a small sawmill, but it stands close to the road, guarded only by Alfredo's dog. Police are unwilling or unable to interfere, and are widely believed to work in partnership with the miners. Alfredo believes that these problems can only be solved through a collaborative effort by the hundreds of concessioners working across the region. By working together, he believes they can find ways to effectively patrol and protect their forests and combat unjust and illegal practices. BAM's investments are helping Alfredo and other concessioners in the Federación de Forestadores y/o Reforestadores de Madre de Dios (FEFOREMAD) to build a strong partnership, with good administrative and legal foundations. In addition, BAM-supported initiatives are increasing the value of sustainable forestry in Madre de Dios, helping them compete with the lucrative illegal mining economy. As Alfredo explains, this is essential: 'It is hard now to find local forestry workers because they can be paid ten times more in the mining camps. Even the weavers – who made baskets from reeds on my concessions – these women too find better-paid employment at the camps. They are abandoning their art." When the gold boom fails, as it inevitably will, it will leave only poisoned deserts in the jungle. BAM is working with Alfredo and others like him to protect as much productive forest as possible and develop a sustainable livelihood strategy that will last long after the mines have closed. Alfredo still remembers the forest he first saw when he arrived at La Pampa and he firmly believes that it is possible to live from the forest in a sustainable way. Alfredo Vracko
www.bosques-amazonicos.com
BAHUAJA-TAMBOPATA REDD PROJECT
Sandoval lake, Tambopata National Reserva - Madre de Dios.
Protecting the amazon biodiversity
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Protecting the amazon biodiversity
BAHUAJA-TAMBOPATA REDD PROJECT
deforestation Redd Project Bahuaja-Tambopata
In the pristine forests of Madre de Dios, there is a constant dripping of water; insects hum and scuttle, branches rustle and scratch, birds cry out. A jaguar roars in the distance, and monkeys crash and shriek in the canopy. In the Amazon, silence comes only as an aftermath, when the ground has been torn apart by miners, the trees felled, and the land lies burned and naked.
deforestation 2010 - 2040 2010 2015
Mapa
2020 2025
2030
2035 2040
Bahuaja Sonene National Park and Tambopata National Reserve er
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550,680 hectares.
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Bahuaja-Sonene Na
Status
Operating, Project under CCBA validation by Rainforest Alliance
Land area
550,680 hectares
Location
Madre de Dios, Peru
Partners
Asociaci贸n para la Investigaci贸n y el Desarrollo (AIDER)
Methodology
REDD Methodology Module
Methodology Element Developer Avoided Deforestation Partners Standard
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA)
Registry
The project will be registered in Markit Environmental Registry
Verified Carbon Units
Approx. 4 MtCO2 in the next 10 years
www.bosques-amazonicos.com
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Bosques Amazonicos is fighting the silence. The Bahuaja Sonene National Park and Tambopata National Reserve cover more than 550,000 hectares of pristine tropical habitat. The area is famous worldwide for its exceptional biodiversity, home to thousands of different plant and butterfly species and hundreds of species of bird, mammal and reptile. It is thought to be one of the last strongholds for spider monkeys, jaguar and the fiercely protective white-lipped peccary. Illegal farming, logging, poaching and gold mining are creating more and more deforested patches across the Park, disrupting its ancient ecosystems. Threats have intensified with the construction of the new InterOceanic highway, which passes near the Park's buffer zone. BAM is financing the conservation and management of the park (including a variety of biodiversity and carbon research). The project has carefully planned additional economic activities within the buffer area. The project is supported by local communities, the regional and national government. The long-term financial viability of these programs will be supported by carbon credit sales.
By assigning economic values to the environmental benefits provided by this forest region, BAM is helping preserve its astonishing biodiversity for future generations.
PRIVATE CAPITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
WWW.BOSQUES-AMAZONICOS.COM
Lima
Ucayali
Madre de Dios
Jr. Monte Rosa 271 - Oficina 7B Santiago de Surco - LIMA Telf.: 51 1 715-1380
Km. 10 Carretera Federico Basadre Pucallpa - UCAYALI Telf.: 51 61 577-858
Jr. San Martín 1084 Pto. Maldonado - MADRE DE DIOS Telf.: 51 82 795-944