Preventing planned deforestation and land use conversion in the Amazon basin.

The Envira Amazonia project spans 39,301 hectares along the banks of the Jurupari River. Its aim is to conserve tropical rainforests and their role as carbon sinks. Project advisors and staff from the University of Acre have created land use and carbon inventory models to better understand the dynamics of the region. Without the project, this area would have been undergone extensive felling for conversion into grasslands to establish cattle ranches.Prior to this, the region was historically used for rubber tapping and as an extractive area for natural forest products, but this sustainable use ceased following the crash in rubber prices in the late 1980s.

The project will also mitigate deforestation pressures in the wider region using a combination of environmental programs and social programs intended to improve the livelihoods of community members living in the vicinity. This includes alternatives to the use of fire in land preparation; improved pasture management, such as rotational cattle pastures and vaccinations; and extraction of medicinal plants for commercial purposes.

Due to its combination of well-planned and recorded benefits, the Envira Amazonia project has achieved Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) certification, with a much vaunted Triple Gold Distinction.

Project area and its threats

The Envira Amazonia Project is located in West Brazil near the town of Feijó, which sits in Acre, between the towns of Sena Madureira and Cruzeiro do Sul. The project has an initial crediting period of 30 years, starting on August 2012and ending in 2042.

The project proponents are as follows:

• CarbonCo, LLC
• Freitas International Group, LLC
• JRAgropecuária e Empreendimentos EIRELI

Benefits

• An average of 1,259,646 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided each year
• The project improves regional water quality and secures land for natural flood storage, lessening the scope of damage from seasonal floods
• Maintains critical habitat for endangered wildlife
• Preserves at least four endemic plants on the IUCN Red List of threatened species: acreana, odorata, longistipulata and macrophylla
• Ongoing engagement with members of the riverine community who have contributed to the project’s design. Some have gone on to become local project managers
• Local people form the patrol group which monitors forest degradation and makes biodiversity records
• Provision of agricultural extension courses, such as chicken rearing and sustainable açaí production