The Understory | Issue 8 | Forests & Biodiversity

The

Underst ry IN THIS EDITION:

Forests & Biodiversity

ISSUE 8

WINTER 2023

Welcome to The Understory The Rainforest Alliance’s newsletter for the passionate supporters who share our mission to create a better future for people and nature.

un·der·sto·ry [noun]: A layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest

IN THIS EDITION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR ALLIANCE

Samantha Morrissey, Forest Allies Lead SNAPSHOT

Communities Come Together to End Child Labor OUR ALLIANCE IN ACTION

Pessimism Is Out. We’re All In. & Lifting Her Voice to Lift Others FEATURE STORY

Champions for Biodiversity on Sri Lanka’s Tea Estates MEET OUR ALLIANCE MEMBERS

Kwame Osei & Sandeepan Bhattacharjee JOIN OUR ALLIANCE

Connect with Our Coffee Klatch & Legacy Estate Planning CONTACT US

ISSUE 8

WINTER 2023

ABOUT THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE:

4 million +

farmers and workers on certified farms

58

countries around the world with active projects and/or certified farms

87

projects with farmers and forest communities to improve livelihoods and protect nature

OUR MISSION:

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.

6 million +

hectares of global farmland certified against our sustainability standards

6,000 +

companies working with us to source certified ingredients and improve their business practices

Our multifaceted approach to shaping a more sustainable world:

CERTIFICATION

We certify products that are grown in accordance with our standards, which support environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

SUPPLY CHAIN SERVICES

We advise companies on how to drive sustainability within their supply chains, source responsibly, monitor progress, and innovate to accelerate transformation.

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

We work with farmers and forest communities to conserve and restore landscapes while improving livelihoods.

ADVOCACY

We work with companies and governments to advance policies that promote sustainability improvements, human rights (such as gender equality), and youth education.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR ALLIANCE

Forests Have Allies All Over the World

BY SAMANTHA MORRISSEY

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FOREST ALLIES LEAD

Forests and biodiversity have always been at the heart of the Rainforest Alliance’s work. Our mission, however, has two complementary sides: to create a world where both people and nature can thrive in harmony. It’s impossible to protect forests and wildlife over the long term without also improving the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, and vice versa. Both goals must go hand in hand.

Our Forest Allies initiative is a perfect example of this approach. Launched in 2021, it brings together companies, civil society organizations, and forest communities to collaborate on targeted projects that promote the responsible management of tropical forests. The initiative has piloted a model of productive forest restoration that combines agriculture, non-timber forest products (e.g., honey, natural rubber, açai, etc), and high-value native

timber species—providing communities with multiple income opportunities and a source of sustenance.

Building on the Rainforest Alliance’s existing work, our six flagship Forest Allies projects are spread across some of the world’s most critical forest landscapes: the Amazon Basin, the Selva Maya, the Congo Basin, and the Indonesian Archipelago. To date, the initiative has reached 43 forest communities, representing nearly 190,000 ha of forests under community management.

In Guatemala, the Rainforest Alliance has long partnered with communities in the 2.1-million-hectare Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR), the largest remaining natural forest block in Mesoamerica. Together, we have built businesses that restore and protect their forests, creating more than 15,000 jobs while still maintaining a near-zero deforestation rate. Despite these successes, however, deforestation—largely driven by cattle grazing—still remains a challenge in and around the reserve. Enter Forest Allies: To support the creation and development of more sustainable economic alternatives, Forest Allies has teamed up with communities within the reserve, like La Pasadita and Cruce la Colorada.

To date, the initiative has reached 43 forest communities, representing nearly 190,000 hectares of forests under community management.

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Because many community enterprises within our targeted landscapes sell their forest products to local markets, their attempts to address deforestation often lack privatesector support, which is commonly focused on global private-sector supply chains. Forest Allies helps fill this gap in a unique way—directly connecting global companies with local forest communities and civil society groups who might not otherwise have the opportunity to partner.

Together, they create a “community of practice” that meets regularly to exchange knowledge, best practices, and solutions around key topics such as ecosystem services or access to finance.

For example, our virtual community of practice meeting in July 2022 included a panel discussion on strategies to help forest enterprises reach various markets with their timber and non-timber forest products. Among the meeting participants were members of FORESCOM, a forest enterprise in Guatemala that works with local communities in the region to develop sustainable forest products.

FORESCOM’s Sales Manager Glyde Márquez and General Manager Elmer Méndez shared their experiences, successes, and challenges. They also participated in breakout groups with representatives from the Rainforest Alliance and two of Forest Allies’ founding corporate partners, Procter & Gamble and Kingfisher, to explore innovative ways of reaching international buyers. (In fact, our Forest Allies work in the MBR has been so successful that local demand has outpaced our current access to funding and other resources.)

And it’s not just our community partners that benefit from these efforts. Global companies that join Forest Allies receive an in-depth environmental and social assessment of their supply chains, designed to help them identify, assess, and mitigate sustainability risks, and meet internationally recognized best practices.

The challenges facing forests and forest communities today are unprecedented, but so is the potential for addressing them—when we forge strong alliances, share our collective expertise, and work together.

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SNAPSHOT: OUR WORK IN UGANDA

COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER TO END CHILD LABOR

Nearly two million farmers in Uganda depend on coffee for their livelihoods.

But while this East African country is the eighth largest coffee producer in the world, most of its smallholder farmers live below the poverty line—lacking the funds to pay for their children’s schooling or hire farm workers. These conditions often result in child labor and limited educational opportunities, which only exacerbates the problem.

To help turn things around, the Rainforest Alliance has been targeting the root causes of child labor in two of Uganda’s critical coffee-growing regions, working with about 9,000 households in Masaka and Rwenzori.

We began by raising awareness and fostering an

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understanding of exactly what constitutes child labor—a basic but crucial step for communities that have had little access to supportive public services.

With a challenge as complex as this one, it takes a collective effort to achieve long-term success. That’s why we collaborate not only with coffee-farming households and communities, but also with teachers, religious and cultural leaders, local government officials, and district education officers.

Volunteer groups monitor and remediate incidences of child labor, and the communities are establishing savings and loan associations to facilitate low-interest loans, making it possible for farming households to invest in other small enterprises. With the additional income these businesses generate, economic pressure is eased, enabling parents to keep their children in school and cover the costs of their education. Working together, these efforts can help to stop the vicious cycle of child labor and turn the wheel in the opposite direction.

RWENZORI:

UGANDA

This mountainous region in western Uganda has had high rates of child labor. A 2021 baseline study showed that 40 percent of children ages six to 13 were either out of, or only partly in, school, and more than 80 percent of those aged 14 to 17 were involved in child labor. Schools are engaging students by creating debate clubs and other groups, and teaching sanitary pad–making to boost the attendance of girls.

RWENZORI MASAKA

MASAKA: Across the country, the Masaka district borders Lake Victoria to the east. In these coffee-growing communities, 14- to 18-year-olds are receiving vocational training that makes it easier to obtain employment and earn additional money for their families.

Beyond helping these young people build a better future, the extra household income will also make it possible for their younger siblings to attend school.

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OUR ALLIANCE IN ACTION

Pessimism Is Out. We’re All In.

We all have that little voice in our head saying, “One person can’t make a difference.” But you know what?

You’re not alone—you’re one of millions of people ready to take on the world’s most daunting challenges with hope and optimism.

Pessimism is out. We’re All In. This message is the heart of our new brand creative platform that will provide the basis for our future campaigns. “We’re All In” embodies our brand narrative—a global movement that embraces the power of collective action for change.

1.2

50 24

views

impressions

million

million

influencer

collaborators

We know that when we come together, we become an unstoppable force for change. To get this message out, the first campaign on our new platform revolves around a comedic short video where our inspiring hero tells pessimism to frog off. You can watch the full video above, which launched November 14th on our YouTube and social media channels. (Fun fact: the director, Max Joseph, was also the creative force behind our viral 2012 Follow the Frog video, and we think our latest collaboration is the best yet!)

Now, we’re calling on our allies, including company partners, donors, and influencers, to engage with and share the video widely. If you’re with us—and if you’re all in, too—together we can create a better future.

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Lifting Her Voice to Lift Others

PHOTO: STEVEN DE WINTER / SOLIDARIDAD

For cocoa entrepreneur Kpomin Minrienne Kole Edi in Côte d’Ivoire, success is about more than her individual accomplishments.

In our previous two issues of The Understory, we told you about her extraordinary career path—from aspiring secretary, to cocoa farmer and cooperative leader. But Edi has also broken barriers for other women and proven herself a powerful champion for smallholder farmers across the country, regardless of gender.

Working with the Rainforest Alliance advocacy team, Edi traveled to Brussels to meet with European Union (EU) legislators. She appeared with four other smallholders, to influence the development of a bill targeted at companies that operate in the EU; it would require companies to do their due diligence on human rights and environmental issues within their supply chains.

Speaking from personal experience, Edi made a strong case for why the bill needed measures to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farming communities. She told lawmakers about farmers in her own cooperative who were left with large quantities of unsold cocoa after traders failed to honor their contracts. This common practice forces cooperatives to sell their remaining cocoa to small intermediaries at a much lower price, resulting in lost income and potentially affecting their ability to repay loans.

If her lobbying efforts are successful, the impacts would be felt well beyond her cooperative, creating viable jobs and curbing the need for farmers to migrate. “I’m not here as Mrs. Edi,” she said, “but as a representative of the cocoa smallholders of Côte d’Ivoire.”

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FEATURE STORY

Champions for Biodiversity on Sri Lanka’s Tea Estates

Although compact in size, Sri Lanka boasts a wide array of ecosystems and one of the highest concentrations of species in the world, many found only on this beautiful island nation.

But this biodiversity hotspot is also home to more than 22 million people, so an ongoing effort is required to maintain the delicate balance between humans and wildlife. Further complicating matters was the onset in 2022 of the worst economic crisis in the country’s history, which resulted in severe currency depreciation, a 60 percent inflation rate, and shortages of essential resources such as fuel and medicine.

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Preserving that crucial balance means conserving biodiversity and preventing deforestation, steps that not only safeguard wildlife habitat but also help economically vulnerable communities protect their water supplies and become more resilient to climate change. To support these objectives, the Rainforest Alliance has been working with regional tea estates, their employees, and other NGOs in the area.

Water of life One successful initiative has focused on conserving microwatersheds—marshy valleys within the tea estates that include small water-catchment areas. Sri Lanka’s rivers originate in these microwatersheds, and any improvements there have impacts that are felt far downstream.

This work began in 2021, in Horton Plains, a national park and high-biodiversity area in the central highlands— mapping the microwatersheds, identifying native species, monitoring water quality, and adding barbed-wire fencing to prevent livestock grazing and other incursions. We also planted native trees to serve as a natural barrier in the future. Thus far, our efforts have helped to conserve 23 microwatersheds—and the work continues!

Inspiring the next generation Looking to the future, we also created a young naturalist program, providing the children of tea-estate workers with environmental education that they can bring home and share with their families. Now these nature-loving teens can identify the local bird and fish species, and are actively promoting local awareness of biodiversity. Some of the older participants have since secured jobs with regional NGOs and government environmental agencies.

This training came in handy last year when a leopard chased a dog across the roofs of worker housing. While the dog ran away, the much-heavier leopard fell into a home. Thanks to the training, however, the family who lived there responded perfectly, locking the big cat safely inside until the wildlife department could rescue it and release it back into the wild.

The ultimate goal of all of these initiatives is to ensure there is a lasting impact beyond the lifespan of any individual project. Sekhar Damiyan, one of the young naturalists, says it best: “I’m going to form a group through the estate staff … and teach them how to protect the nature. My purpose is to tell others what we have learned.”

The leopard who came to tea While the young naturalist program helped bring community members to the wildlife, occasionally the wildlife comes to the community, though sadly driven by shrinking habitat. Of primary concern is the Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), an endangered species that sometimes tracks its prey through the estates. To help tea workers know how to respond appropriately, we teamed up with the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society to offer human-wildlife conflict training.

Nearly 3,000 adults from 48 tea estates participated in these sessions, which were offered on each estate.

Through a mix of roleplay exercises and handouts, workers learned more about the leopards and what to do if faced with one.

Now these natureloving teens can identify the local bird and fish species, and are actively promoting local awareness of biodiversity.

PHOTOS: WILDLIFE AND NATURE PROTECTION SOCIETY

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MEET OUR ALLIANCE MEMBERS

kwame osei “I’m passionate about how I can understand the farmer’s point of view.”

KWAME OSEI SENIOR DIRECTOR - GLOBAL PROGRAMS RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

In his new role as the Rainforest Alliance’s senior director of global programs, Kwame Osei will rely on his impeccable scientific credentials, including extensive expertise in forestry, agriculture, and sustainability, and a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry. But since joining the Rainforest Alliance more than a decade ago, he has also proven his aptitude for a different kind of “chemistry”: building effective teams.

As country director for Nigeria and Ghana, where he is based, he has made it a priority to establish and maintain successful working relationships with corporate leaders, government officials, and other key organizations and individuals. Chief among these are smallholder farmers.

“Sometimes, we tell the farmers what they should do, but we don’t ask them what they think is the solution,” he says. “I’m passionate about how I can understand their point of view, and how I can bring a scientific angle to it that can inform policy.”

Osei’s unique blend of technical knowledge and field experience will come in handy as he guides the implementation of our 2030 strategy. Through the development of global initiatives and direct collaboration with farmers, he plans to harness the organization’s strengths. “It is not too ambitious to want to reach 100 million producers, and I think this is our time. The Rainforest Alliance has the numbers, the expertise, and the capabilities.”

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SANDEEPAN BHATTACHARJEE The Rainforest Alliance’s Sandeepan Bhattacharjee doesn’t need words to explain what motivates him.

He does it with his camera, snapping images of the wildlife he spots on certified tea estates in Assam, India—an area that’s home to many endangered and vulnerable animal species.

As an expert in sustainable agriculture, Bhattacharjee works directly with tea farmers to help them implement nature-friendly growing practices that safeguard waterways and nurture soils, while also boosting their yields. Biodiversity protection is a key element of our certification requirements, and the proof of impact is in his photos, which have captured the Indian rhinoceros, the western hoolock gibbon, and the Asian elephant, among many other species. “The use of agrochemicals on tea farms is negatively affecting biodiversity here in Assam,” he explains.

“But on Rainforest Alliance Certified tea farms, pesticides and weedicides are no longer used indiscriminately.”

Sustainability experts like Bhattacharjee live in bungalows on the grounds of these sprawling tea estates. To cover the territory, he relies on his motorcycle. While his proximity is a boon for farmers, allowing him to be accessible when they need his support, it also fuels his hobby. When returning home one night on his bike, he spotted a neon green creature that seemed to glow in the headlights of his motorcycle. Moving quickly, he captured a vivid shot of a bamboo pit viper.

“My passion is to observe wildlife in its natural habitat; my camera just lets me enjoy that a bit more.”

“My passion is to observe wildlife in its natural habitat; my camera just lets me enjoy that a bit more.”

SANDEEPAN BHATTACHARJEE SENIOR TECHNICAL ASSOCIATE NORTHEAST INDIA PHOTOS: SANDEEPAN BHATTACHARJEE

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JOIN OUR ALLIANCE

connect with our coffee klatch Our Coffee Klatch Series is a special opportunity to connect with Rainforest Alliance program staff. Each quarter, a different member of the Rainforest Alliance team shares their work in an intimate and interactive conversation, followed by Q&A. If you’re interested in joining our Coffee Klatch Series, please reach out to Arati Patel at apatel@ra.org.

In a recent Coffee Klatch, Leila Yassine, advocacy manager, provided a rundown of the Rainforest Alliance’s plans for COP 28 and a high-level overview of our new climate strategy.

To watch recordings of earlier Coffee Klatches, click HERE.

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Leave your Legacy Have you included the Rainforest Alliance in your estate planning?

By making a planned gift to the Rainforest Alliance, you create a meaningful legacy for future generations. Donors who include the Rainforest Alliance in their estate plans or wills are among our most dedicated supporters and are welcomed into the Judith Sulzberger Legacy Society.

Join today and receive lifetime benefits including updates on our work, invitations to special events, and recognition in our annual report.

To learn more, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org/giftplanning or contact Maria Wassum at mwassum@ra.org

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THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR ALLIANCE. With each donation, you are helping the Rainforest Alliance make a lasting impact on the planet and ensure a more sustainable future for generations to come. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our invaluable community of donors for your unwavering support of our mission. Your generous contributions allow us to safeguard the world’s precious rainforests, preserve biodiversity, and empower local communities. Thank you for standing with us as a vital part of our alliance.

STAY IN TOUCH

We’d love to hear from you!

Please reach out directly to Emily Chase at echase@ra.org.

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