Long-term investments continue to show their positive impact,
in combination with adaptive project activities.
Although some field activities were delayed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarter nonetheless brought impressive results on the ground. The community’s engagement in the REDD+ project was at the center of the work: An additional 14 Community Patrol Teams were established, trained and equipped, while communities have begun to adopt Ibis rice as a value-adding source of income. And the wildlife monitoring team completed their field data collection, walking a total of 1,260 km over hilly terrain in hot weather.
The first quarter has seen an uninterrupted continuation of critical forest and wildlife protection activities, community programs in education, and capacity building for local community board members. Recent carbon sales have provided much-needed financial resources that the project has effectively utilized to activate its vision of landowner-led, community-driven conservation. The project’s comprehensive strategy, and the solid institutional capacity now in place, are providing a new source of stability and resilience to the landscape and communities, starting the project on a path toward durable long term success.
Despite the onset of uncertainty towards the end of the first quarter due to COVID-19, the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project has continued to deliver significant progress across the entire project area. In addition to providing continued, ongoing livelihoods support to the communities through uninterrupted direct employment, procurement of seedlings, and over $200,000 in educational bursaries, the project has also deployed its capabilities to produce critical medical supplies.
During the first quarter of 2020, before the arrival of Covid-19, 16 local communities directly benefitted from the economic alternatives supported by the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project.
The wave of deforestation that has rippled through Cambodia over the past 10 years has now spread north from the flatlands toward the more hilly, highly forested periphery. Now it has advanced right to the border of Keo Seima. With a nearby 150,000 hectare park completely deforested in recent years, the threat to the Keo Seima landscape is pressing. COVID-19 presents additional threats with the potential for a large influx of people returning to Cambodia.
Investing into the community’s youth, building capacity to address critical healthcare needs, and providing economic alternatives have been the main focus of the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project’s work in Q1 2020.
Diversification and expansion of green economic development continues to deliver durable conservation and community resilience in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest.
This past quarter has focused on the development and implementation of an upgraded Social Benefit Impact Assessment monitoring system and community- led consultations to identify priority needs and the application of a collaborative and transparent benefit sharing model to design a full suite of project activities to be undertaken with Gucci funds.
13 high-quality coffee containers produced by the cooperative and exported to specialty markets – North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Traditional practices to produce coffee is the main driver of deforestation, turning this to sustainable coffee required the linkage to specialty markets to halt deforestation.
