Located in the lush primary forests of the Peruvian Amazon, the Brazil Forest Conservation Project protects close to 300,000 hectares of tropical rainforest. That’s almost as large as the State of Rhode Island! The project is a unique community-based collaboration between Bosques Amazonicos (BAM) and the local community landowners — the Madre de Dios Federation of Brazil Nut Concessionersa. It is certified by Verra/VCS and is anticipated to prevent 14.5 million tons of CO2 emissions.
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most incredible natural wonders on Planet Earth. Often referred to as the ‘lungs of the planet,’ 20% of the world’s carbon is absorbed by the Amazon alone! Beyond carbon, the Amazon is also home to 10% of the world’s known species (2.5 million insect species alone), and 40,000 plant species (many of which are the basis of our pharmaceutical medicines).
Unfortunately, the Amazon is under tremendous pressure from slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal timber harvesting. It is estimated that the Amazon is being deforested at a rate of 3 football fields per minute and that we’ve already lost 15–17% of the forest. And while we must push forward on reforestation efforts around the globe to remove carbon and regrow ecosystems, we must also protect these critical tropical forests. Deforestation of existing forests accounts for 12–15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all of the European Union combined. Old-growth, tropical forests already sequester significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the air, as well as support healthy ecosystems and local communities.
The Brazil Nut Concessions project is particularly important as it is located near a newly constructed highway through the Amazon, which has brought with it increased deforestation. In order to stop the root causes of deforestation, a paramount goal of the project is to push the local economy away from slash-and-burn agriculture and towards the harvesting of Brazil nuts, which can only be found in primary forests such as those found in the project. With contributions, from companies like Shopify, these local communities will have the resources to continue this much-needed work.
Community
Concessioner communities are highly dependent on the health of the local ecosystem and yet have few resources to protect it from illegal logging and deforestation. This project empowers the community to preserve their land and livelihood. Funds for this project support a variety of initiatives to increase the value of the land and prevent further deforestation. This includes a new nut harvesting facility, which will provide more jobs and nut-based products, and the implementation of a new forest monitoring and surveillance system, including cameras, checkpoints, and patrols.
Biodiversity
Madre de Dios is famous for its biodiverse and lush old-growth, lowland rainforests. Natural savannah spots the forestland near the border with Bolivia, and a constant mist hangs in the cloud forests on the mountains of Manu. Several rare and endangered species find protection in these forests. Along the river, families of endangered giant otters reside and more bird species than can be identified fill the canopy.
Verification and Monitoring
While this project is already verified by a third-party carbon protocol body Verra, Pachama provides an additional layer of verification and monitoring using our remote sensing and AI technology. Pachama uses this technology to ensure international standards are met, as well as to provide real-time data about the forests missing in other forest schemes. Pachama provides regular monitoring and works with the on-the-ground team to enable better forest protection. Brazil Nut Concessions, in particular, takes extreme precautions to avoid illegal deforestation (including cameras, checkpoints, and patrols). Our satellite data notes very low deforestation (below 1%) since the project’s inception. And in the event of future issues, such as a future wildfire, Pachama works to ensure that credits are issued for the project from the global Verra buffer pool.
About Pachama
Pachama is on a mission to solve climate change by restoring forests, nature’s carbon sinks. Pachama harnesses satellite imaging with artificial intelligence to measure carbon captured in forests. This technology enables remote verification and monitoring of forests to provide a new standard of assurance in carbon markets. Through the Pachama platform, we connect responsible companies and individuals with carbon credits from projects that are protecting and restoring forests worldwide.
Pachama is building scalable tools to enable more forest projects around the world to participate in carbon markets, promoting more restoration and protection of forests and a healthier planetary future.
Create a free account and learn more on Pachama’s platform: https://pachama.com/marketplace/projects/brazil-nuts
