This project is protecting a critical forest ecosystem that supports over 1,000 species in northern Peru. By providing benefits to local communities, the project motivates farmers to conserve the forest and promotes sustainable production of the region’s main crop: coffee.

The Alto Mayo Protected Forest is a critical ecosystem located in the San Martín region of the Peruvian Amazon. The forest covers approximately 182,000 hectares (450,000 acres) – an area twice the size of New York City. The area boasts extremely high biodiversity and is home to over 1,000 unique species, including rare birds, amphibians, and the yellow-tailed woolly monkey that is endemic to Peru. The forest also plays a valuable role in protecting the streams which provide water for the people who live in the Alto Mayo Basin. 

Although the Alto Mayo Forest is designated as a protected area, it is still threatened by high rates of deforestation and degradation. Rising coffee prices and a new highway spurred thousands of migrant farmers to flock to the region. It is estimated that more than 4,000 families now live in and around the forest.  Unfortunately, as more people settled in the region and agricultural production expanded, it came at a cost to Alto Mayo’s environment. Farmers burned and cleared trees to plant crops and utilized unsustainable coffee production techniques. As a result, they were destroying not only a critical ecosystem, but the very resources their livelihoods depend on.

This REDD+ project is reducing tropical deforestation by protecting and restoring the Alto Mayo Protected Forest. It is addressing the main causes of deforestation in the area by working directly with local communities and the Peruvian Government. 

By providing economic benefits to local communities, the project incentivizes inhabitants to conserve the forest and protect its precious resources. Local families sign conservation agreements in exchange for benefits, such as agricultural training, farming equipment, public health campaigns, and school supplies.  By signing the agreements, families pledge to not cut down trees, use sustainable farming practices, and engage in various other conservation activities. In addition, farmers are provided with access to coffee and native tree seedlings so they can also plant native trees within their coffee plantations. 

To date, over 848 community members have pledged to protect the trees of Alto Mayo. In addition to providing incentives, the project is also creating new job opportunities for local communities. People are paid for certain conservation activities, such as patrolling and safeguarding the forest. In total, more than 240,000 inhabitants of the Alto Mayo Basin are benefiting as a result of the project.

This project reduces deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon by improving forest management and promoting sustainable nut harvesting. This will help protect critical rainforest habitat and endangered species, while supporting the livelihoods of indigenous communities.

The Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon is covered by dense tropical rainforest that is home to spectacular biodiversity. Numerous endangered animals rely on this lush habitat for their survival, including the golden lion tamarin and lowland tapir. In addition, several indigenous communities reside in the forests and are highly dependent on its resources. 

Madre de Dios is one of the regions most affected by deforestation in Peru. In the last fifteen years, more than 490,000 acres of its rainforests were lost. The new Interoceanic highway cuts through this region, connecting the Brazilian Amazon to Peru’s Pacific ports. While this highway increases accessibility, it opens the doors to other environmental problems such as deforestation caused by migrant farmers and illegal loggers. This puts certain native tree species, such as mahogany and cedar, at risk of extinction, and threatens the wildlife and people who live in the region.

This project will dramatically reduce deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon and protect approximately 740,000 acres (300,000 hectares) of rainforest. The project aims to reduce pressure on this biodiversity hotspot by improving forest management and increasing the economic value of the healthy forest. To accomplish this, the project supports sustainable Brazil nut harvesting by local farmers. This allows local communities to reap economic benefits from the forest without diminishing its natural integrity. As a result, over 400 families benefit economically from nut production. In addition, the project will improve monitoring and enforcement in the area and train 460 local people on forest protection practices. 

By preventing deforestation of the rainforest, this project reduces greenhouse gas emissions and conserves an incredibly valuable ecosystem. At the same time, it supports the livelihoods of indigneous communities and creates employment opportunities for rural producers.

This project focuses on the sustainable management and restoration of Garcia River Forest in Northern California. By promoting selective timber harvesting, the project benefits the local economy while conserving massive Redwood trees which store substantial amounts of carbon.

Redwood forests store more carbon per acre than any other type of forest on the planet. As a result, it is incredibly important that we protect these vital ecosystems.  

The 23,780-acre Garcia River Forest is located in the heart of Northern California’s Redwood region. Decades of timber harvesting by the logging industry have severely depleted the region’s natural resources. What was once a flourishing habitat for threatened species such as northern spotted owls and Coho salmon is now a fragile ecosystem. In addition to the environmental damage caused by deforestation, soil erosion from old logging roads fills streams with sediment. As the forest becomes less productive, jobs are lost and the local economy suffers. 

This project promotes the sustainable management and restoration of Garcia River Forest, which is owned and managed by The Conservation Fund. By encouraging selective timber harvesting, the project ensures logging continues to benefit the local economy without jeopardizing the fertility of this critical habitat. In addition to conserving wooded areas, the project’s restoration activities will help improve water quality and rehabilitate aquatic habitats.

The sustainable logging method being used in Garcia River Forest allows the remaining trees to grow bigger at a faster rate. This allows them to store more carbon – good news for our planet and climate! As a result of this project, 77,000 tons of carbon emissions are absorbed and stored by the forest annually. And by increasing ecosystem productivity the project also supports local jobs and enhances recreational opportunities for current and future generations. 

This project helps Tanzania’s indigenous communities safeguard their natural resources and prevent their land from being converted into cropland by encroachers. In addition to preserving their forested homeland and traditional lifestyles, the project provides the communities with a new income stream and funds social initiatives that improve access to education and healthcare.

Forests are essential natural resources for Tanzania’s indigenous communities, such as the Hadza and Datooga tribes. These semi-nomadic forest dwellers maintain traditional lifestyles that are closely intertwined with the environment. 

The Hadza have lived in northern Tanzania’s Yaeda Valley for 40,000 years and are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on the planet. They engage in a subsistence lifestyle, living off the land and foraging for wild foods like honey, berries, and tubers. The Datooga on the other hand are a pastoralist community that raise their livestock in the forest. Unlike the destructive practices often used by industrial farmers, the Datooga graze their cattle in a sustainable way. Their grazing patterns mimic natural wildlife movements, lessening the impact and allowing the forest to regenerate. While the Hadza and Datooga maintain different ways of life, both communities have a deep connection to the forest and depend on its health for their survival. From providing food and medicine to holding spiritual value, there isn’t a tree without a purpose. 

In recent decades, the communities were gradually displaced from their land. The Hadza and Datooga lived in temporary shelters and had no formal land ownership, making it easy for encroachers to come and take over their land. Prior to the project, the Hadza lost about 90% of their land to outside settlers who cleared the woodland areas primarily for subsistence farming. More recently, the Datooga land has been converted by encroachers to grow onions. Because the farmers used unsustainable agricultural methods, the soil quality quickly degraded, leading them to clear plot after plot of land. This deforestation and land-use change not only threatens the existence of the Hadza and Datooga peoples, it also generates carbon emissions that contribute to global climate change.

This community-led project is protecting over 270,000 acres (110,000 hectares) of drylands forest in and around Tanzania’s Yaeda Valley and Eyasi landscape. The project area forms an essential wildlife corridor which connects to the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands, a critical habitat for an immense population of animals. The project reduces the amount of carbon emissions released through deforestation by preventing the Hadza and Datooga’s ancestral lands from being converted into cropland. 

The project strengthens the communities’ land rights and helps them safeguard their natural resources from encroachers. The primary way the project accomplishes this is through the creation of village land use plans. These new plans were created by the communities with the support of the local government. By designating how different areas can be used, they prevent deforestation. While some areas may be used for grazing or farming, others are restricted as protected areas. 

The communities finally gained legal land rights preceding the start of the project. Now, the project aids them in implementing regulations to protect their land. To enhance enforcement of the community by-laws, a police post was built and 142 community members are employed as village game scouts who patrol the forest for poachers or people cutting down trees. 

Since the start of the project, the communities have observed an improvement in the health of the forest, noting that rainfall is better and wildlife is coming back. One study found that Masai giraffe numbers are increasing in the project area, in contrast to the rest of East Africa where the endangered species is largely in decline. In the past year many other animals including elephants, zebras, lions, leopards, and impalas were sighted in the project area.    

In addition to ensuring resource security, the project allows more than 64,000 remote community members to access a new stream of finance for sustainable development. The project provided over $500,000 USD in 2022 alone to support community development initiatives. Previously, there were a limited number of secondary schools in select villages, so most community members did not receive an education. The project increases access to education by funding the construction of facilities and covering school fees. Health and wellness is another key area of focus. To improve community well-being, the project has installed school toilet blocks, introduced an ambulance service and outreach clinics, and paid for children’s school meals. Though the Hadza and Datooga’s traditional lifestyles are very much in harmony with the forest, these added social benefits provide an added economic incentive to conserve their land. 

This project aims to protect a large forest area within the Valley of Jari, which is home to over 2,000 species and 2,000+ rural families. The project will provide economic opportunities including agriculture, fish hatcheries, and community cooperatives that support local handicrafts.

The Valley of Jari in Northern Brazil is located in a major watershed for the Amazon River and includes three major rivers (Jari, Cajari and Maracá). The area is home to over 2,000 rural families and serves as an ecological corridor that connects several important conservation areas. The Valley abounds with biodiversity and the tropical rainforest provides a sanctuary for many important wildlife species. Over 2,000 different types of animals live in the area, including over 100 endangered species.

During the 1970s, investments in infrastructure and new enterprises brought thousands of migrants to the region in search of job opportunities. Unfortunately, many of these jobs were linked to the pulp mill industry and relied on the exploitation of the forest. Unsustainable practices, such as clearing forest areas and feeding trees to the pulp mill brought on increased deforestation. Many families who lived in the Valley were forced to leave as the forest was converted for other uses and they lost access to its resources. Following a number of economic crises in Brazil, investment ceased and enterprises failed. Both deforestation and social issues increased.   

Jari Amapá REDD+ is an ongoing community‐based project that aims to protect a 163,040 acre (65,980 hectare) forest area in the Valley of Jari. The project safeguards large areas of forest to prevent deforestation and degradation. To further ensure the safety of this biodiverse habitat, local people will be trained in sustainable farming practices and forest management.  

By ensuring that this forest stays standing, this project will prevent approximately 3,450,279 metric tons of CO2e emissions. The project will provide local communities with financial support and establish agricultural production, fish hatcheries, beekeeping and community cooperatives that support locally made handicrafts will create additional job opportunities in the area