REDD project in Brazil nut concessions in Madre de Dios

Summary

Bosques Amazónicos (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 concessions in rainforest land in the Provinces of Tambopata and Tahuamanu in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. These communities are highly dependent on local ecosystems, but have few resources with which to protect their concessions. The project aims to empower them by increasing the economic value of the healthy forest and the income generated by sustainable Brazil nut harvesting. The project commenced on 24 September 2009, when BAM and FEPROCAMD executed an Association Contract for the joint development of the REDD+ project. The project's crediting period, of 31 years, is from January 2010 to December 2040. 

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. 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.

BAM is empowering concessioners to protect their land and livelihood in the following ways.

1. Increasing the economic value of the forest: 

• A new processing facility to increase the market value of the sustainably harvested nuts with by-products of the peeling and selection process used to produce further high-value marketable commodities, e.g. nut oil and soap.

• REDD+ carbon credits will be generated through avoided deforestation and conservation activities.  Part of this income will be used to subsidise the reforestation activities.

• Concessioners and their families will benefit from increased work and income opportunities in forest management and nut processing, which is particularly important for those months during which Brazil nut harvesting is not performed.

2. Implementation of a forest monitoring and surveillance system

• Deforestation risks will be identified via a participative monitoring framework which includes 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.

The project description has been validated to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), and subsequently the project's emissions reductions have been verified to the VCS, with the first Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) issued in November 2013.