Located along the Madeira River, this project is protecting a vast area of the Brazilian Amazon that is under imminent threat of deforestation. By improving living conditions and strengthening environmental monitoring and awareness, this project will conserve this critical ecosystem while improving quality of life for local communities.
Where & Why
The Madeira River is one of the Amazon’s largest tributaries. The waterway runs more than 2,000 miles, serving as an important freshwater source and route for transportation in the Brazilian Amazon.
While major transportation routes like the Madeira open up access to more remote areas of the rainforest, this also means that they make deforestation easier. Oftentimes, this results in a fishbone pattern of deforestation, where parallel lines of deforestation occur off a main road.
The Trocano Araretama project is located on the banks of the Madeira in the Municipality of Santo Antônio de Borba. This area is home to an incredible array of animals including 2,500 species of birds and 2,500 species of fish. Howler monkeys, white-nosed sakis, jaguars, and river dolphins are just a few of the species that are found here.
Unfortunately, this biodiverse region faces severe threats of deforestation. Along with the Madeira River, the area also borders major roadways, leaving it highly susceptible to illegal logging, the expansion of livestock farming and cattle ranching, and other drivers of deforestation. The lack of economic opportunities in the region exacerbate this problem as local communities resort to working for illegal logging companies in order to survive. Between 1991 and 2010, Borba’s population more than doubled, placing further pressure on the region’s precious forest resources.
Without intervention, it is projected that there will be extensive deforestation in the project area within the next 20 years.
How & Who
This project is protecting more than one million hectares of the Brazilian Amazon from being lost to deforestation. By conserving this essential ecosystem, the project will ensure that the trees hold their current carbon stores and continue to remove emissions from the atmosphere.
The project will prevent deforestation and address its root causes through a variety of activities, including:
- Implementing a new, technology-driven monitoring and intervention system against the perpetrators of illegal deforestation.
- Educating local communities on forests to foster environmental appreciation and activism.
- Training and employing local inhabitants in land maintenance and conservation.
- Providing alternative livelihood opportunities for local people so that they no longer need to engage in illegal logging as a means of survival. In the longer-term, funds will be used to provide micro-loans and develop sustainable ecotourism.
- Training residents on sustainable practices, such as small-scale sustainable agricultural practices that avoid the devastation caused by slash and burn.
The project funds will also be used to create additional benefits for communities and improve local standards of living. As there is currently no waste management in place, proceeds from the project will be used to establish sewage and waste systems. Furthermore, funds from the project will support the improvement of basic services, such as the deployment of mobile health units, distribution of water purification systems and renovation of schools, as well as the provision of professional training.
Environmental Benefits
- Mitigates climate change by preventing deforestation
- Protects 1.3 million hectares of tropical rainforest
- Conserves biodiversity by protecting the habitats of vulnerable and endemic species
- Reduces environmental pollution by establishing waste management systems
Community Benefits
- Supports improved water sanitation, education, and health
- Provides training to local communities
- Provides employment alternatives for local communities
Project Type
Forests
Location
Annual CO2 Reduction
7 million metric tons CO2e (annual average for project crediting period)
SDGs Supported
Verification Standard
Project Developers
Go Balance Ltd
Project Documents
News & Stories
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