The REDD+ APD project conserves 5.14 thousand hectares of native forests and tends to grow in the future
Located in the municipality of Itacoatiara, the Amazon Biome Conservancy (ABC) Grouped REDD+ Project is one of Systemica's efforts to conserve and protect the biodiversity of the Amazon territory. The APD project is located close to the metropolitan region of Manaus, a major focus of economic development in the state.
Still in its first year of implementation, the REDD+ project conserves 5.14 thousand hectares of native forests. “The project, which avoids planned deforestation, started in November last year. We have already carried out a field audit for VCS validation (Verified Carbon Standard, a voluntary market quality standard), and we are concluding this process for approval by Verra soon”, explains Rodrigo Camargo, project coordinator within Systemica.
When we talk about the carbon market, it is essential that the project has longevity and can actually cause a measurable impact on the site. “Since ABC is a grouped project, we can add new instances to it. Initially it started with a set of seven lots close to Vila Lindóia, but it could cover a larger territory over the years. This ensures that the project will be long-lasting and permanent in the future. We want to bring as many instances as possible so that it gets bigger, brings more money to communities and promotes biodiversity monitoring. All of this brings value to the project”, analyzes Bibiana Duarte, technical director at Systemica.
As it is an APD project, the idea is to avoid planned deforestation within a certain private area. According to Brazilian law, landowners within the Amazon territory can deforest up to 20% of the site. “The base scenario that we avoid is that the owner deforests this area. Initially we carry out the entire audit process to find out if there are no irregularities and if the Ownership of the territory is in fact demonstrated. Next, the idea is to present economic alternatives so that this owner can profit without using the land for alternative activities, such as livestock or logging”, explains Rodrigo.
According to PRODES, a project that monitors deforestation in the Amazon Forest, the state of Amazonas, where the ABC project is located, has already lost 33,384.00 km2 of tropical forest, with 2022 being a record year since 1998, with 2,600 km2 deforested. At the PRODES deforestation ranking, Itacoatiara, the project's municipality, is the municipality in the state of Amazonas with the 6th largest deforested area. In proportion, it is the 3rd most deforested municipality, with 20.81% of all vegetation removed, indicating great pressure for the economic exploitation of the region.
“Our role is to show owners the role of carbon projects. Instead of carrying out deforestation and emitting carbon dioxide, he can have a recipe for forest preservation. By preserving the forest, you protect the biome. We have to provide a tangible alternative so that keeping the forest standing is more economically interesting than deforestation”, he adds.
Social counterparts bring sovereignty to local communities and strengthen economic development
The project fulfills ten Sustainable Development Goals in Brazil (SDGs), established by the UN to guarantee the socio-economic reach of actions in the country: 3: Health and Well-Being; 4: Quality Education; 5: Gender Equality; 8: Decent Employment and Economic Growth; 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; 10: Reduction of Inequalities; 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; 13: Combating Climate Change; 15: Earthly life; 17: Partnerships and Means of Implementation.
In November 2022, an initial social diagnosis of the project region was designed, with the aim of understanding the community leaders and the population's main needs in terms of health, infrastructure and economic needs. The most relevant communities for the project were identified as the community of Nossa Senhora de Nazaré, which lives in Vila Lindóia, and the community of Visconde de Mauá.
“We are still defining what social compensations are necessary for the communities, especially as it is a very populated, dense region, a human cluster. Initially, we are thinking about bringing infrastructure actions, composting activities and environmental awareness, strengthening the women's front in the communities and thinking about actions aimed at health”, explains Rodrigo. “In this project we have a clear benefit distribution policy, guaranteeing territorial conversion and improving the quality of life of the communities surrounding the properties, with improvements in health and education. The idea is to change the region as a whole”, adds Munir Soares, founding partner of Systemica.
Protection of biodiversity and public awareness are key actions within the Amazon biome
In the first half of 2023, the team responsible for the project carried out the ABC forest and fauna inventory. Both are essential to fulfilling project requirements. The forest inventory can, by collecting primary data on the above-ground biomass stock and forest species in the chosen area, quantify the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that would be emitted in the absence of the project.
The fauna inventory is fundamental for defining the project's fauna monitoring plan, which in addition to conservation activities and VCS certification, aims to impact local biodiversity and certify the impact through the standard. The inventory aimed to highlight the data collected regarding the identification of species from three zoological groups: herpetofauna, avifauna and mammal fauna. It was possible to identify some trigger species for potential monitoring, such as: green-backed jacamim (Psophia viridis), tapir (Tapirus terrestrials), macaw turtle (Peltocephalus dumerilianus) and black-faced spider monkey (Ateles chamek ).
“Weekly, a person will tour all 5,040 hectares to check the security of the project perimeter and the monitoring and surveillance of the area. The intention is for our forest inventory to be even more rigorous than what is currently required by environmental agencies in Amazonas, identifying species that are at risk of extinction and that have high conservation value. We also want to raise awareness among the population so that vulnerable species are not hunted”, adds Rodrigo.
