The project team is planning for an upcoming validation and verification of credits through regular technical meetings with the government and plans for the official integration of Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) activities. A new Master Plan was approved, highlighting the activities to be undertaken in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest between 2023 and 2027. Recent political uncertainty has shaken Peru’s economy, with negative impacts radiating to communities in the project area.
Despite its protected status, the threat of deforestation from illegal logging and agricultural encroachment in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest (AMPF) remains. To deter the destruction of the forest and to provide local farmers and families with economic alternatives to deforestation, the project has established voluntary conservation agreements in partnership with communities living in and around the project zone.
The Alto Mayo Protected Forest REDD+ project has conducted a prestigious Q-Grader certification course at the coffee laboratory, training cuppers from around the world. The project activities are expanding into Afforestation and Reforestation (ARR) activities, with field data collection underway ahead of verification and validation. A new women’s association has been established, with >200 women participating from 15 communities.
COVID has profoundly impacted the project, introducing challenges due to increased migration into the AMPF and buffer zones, while at the same time providing new opportunities for the implementation of diverse sustainable natural resource- based ventures. Political obstacles have delayed a planned expansion of the project area and the next round of verification.
In the middle of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peruvian people struggled to survive as their economy and health services literally collapsed. In spite of this, the Alto Mayo project team continued supporting its community, including: the COOPBAM cooperative, subscribers of the conservation agreements, surveillance committees and any individuals who reached out for help during this difficult time. In the midst of economic unrest, the project’s initiatives have flourished.
Resilience and adaptive management in the face of COVID: The project’s key stakeholders – conservation agreement signatories, the protected area coffee cooperative, rangers, and technicians – continue to be supported by the project, and have found a way to maintain the implementation of crucial field activities.
Strengthening the foundations for durable conservation: Deepening partnerships with the community and Peruvian Government during the ongoing COVID pandemic.
Diversification and expansion of green economic development continues to deliver durable conservation and community resilience in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest.