Forest Notes - June 2024
It's the start of London Climate Action Week and our UK-based team is out in force, listening, learning and contributing to critical conversations that help communities prosper from conserving their forests and wildlife, resulting in climate change mitigation for all.
In this issue we showcase some of the powerful REDD+ projects we represent, such as the ACAPA - Bajo Mira y Frontera in Colombia, which is one of the first ever community created and led REDD+ projects. We report from the Wildlife Alliance Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project in Cambodia, to hear what local communities really think of the project from the recent results of the secret ballot.
You can read our handy guide to REDD+ and biodiversity, watch an award-winning film of the first female rangers at the Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project and learn how jurisdictional approaches in the Democratic Republic of Congo integrate with community-centered projects, ensuring tangible benefits for both local communities and global conservation efforts.
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A helpful guide to REDD+ and biodiversity
Many REDD+ projects are located in forests with globally significant biodiversity. Monitoring and managing this biodiversity gives REDD+ projects a tremendous opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework which was established in 2022 to halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2050.
In our latest blog, Sylvia Gan, Everland's Senior Research Associate, highlights how the REDD+ projects we represent are supporting global biodiversity goals alongside sustainable development. To reach these goals, it is essential to integrate the true value of nature into global financial systems, with the voluntary carbon market being a crucial component. Read more.
Live from Southern Cardamoms
Emma Oakman, Everland's Vice President of Strategic Communications, was in Cambodia following the latest round of Wildlife Alliance's consultations with communities of the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project (SCRP). This process, called FPIC, which stands for Free, Prior and Informed Consent, is a critical part of all of the high-integrity community-based forest conservation REDD+ projects that Everland represents. SCRP has been conducting regular rounds of FPIC on a continuous basis since the project began, emphasizing the importance of engaging local community members and indigenous people, and prioritizing their inclusion in the ongoing decision making and governance of project activities to ensure their success.
As well as Emma's update above, she was able to capture the fantastic result at the O'Somm commune, where 98% (222/226) of the community voted in support of the ongoing activities of the REDD+ Project.
Project staff are committed to continuous improvement and ensuring community members have accessible forums to share their opinions. This year, a secret ballot was introduced and the project has provided a contribution to fuel costs for community members. As a result, participation has increased across the project area. See the result of the secret ballot.
REDD+ Project Spotlight
ACAPA - Bajo Mira y Frontera REDD+ Project, Colombia
This is one of the first community created and led REDD+ projects where forest conservation provides viable and attractive alternative livelihoods to coca growing in Colombia. Everland is working with the team on the ground to generate revenue for communities in one of the toughest social and economic environments where deforestation is rampant.
Conserving 58,212 hectares of tropical forest, project communities are working alongside and learning from conservation experts to protect this diverse ecosystem. Our goal is to provide the project's leadership with the technical, governance and carbon market expertise so they can build a world-class REDD+ project that generates sustainable, self-directed revenue for the local people while also halting deforestation in one of our most precious and threatened forests. So far the project has:
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1,166,316 tonnes of verified CO2 emissions avoided to dat
London Climate Action Week 2024
Here's a selection of the many fantastic events taking place next week that our UK-based team will be attending. We look forward to meeting some of you in person.
"Portrait of a Ranger: Connie" Wins Special Jury Award at the Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival
Wildlife Works' short film won the Special Jury Award at Africa’s premier wildlife and conservation film festival. The film features Constance Mwandaa, one of the first female rangers at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project. It highlights her trailblazing role in conservation and her efforts to empower more women into traditionally male-dominated roles.
Without Projects, Jurisdictional REDD+ Programs Risk Becoming ‘Paper Parks’
Featured in EcoSystem Marketplace, Joshua McCarron, our Global Head of Business Development, explores how jurisdictional approaches integrate community-centered projects like the Wildlife Works Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project into national strategies, ensuring tangible benefits for both local communities and global conservation efforts. Read on.
Wildlife Alliance scholarship students secure internships at the US Embassy
Thanks to the Wildlife Alliance Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project, young students from rural communities have the opportunity to pursue higher education and in turn seek opportunities for valuable internships. These internships, secured at the US Embassy in Cambodia, provide much-needed practical experience to help shape their future career paths. Read more.
What we've been reading and listening to