EVALUATING THE RESULTS OF OUR WORK September 2014

Kassy Holmes, Inspiring Action Through Change Coordinator, Rainforest education supports community Alliance engagement in sustainable forest management Claudia Lebel, NZDZ Project and REDD+ in Madre de Dios, Peru Coordinator, Asociación para la Investigación Key messages y Desarrollo Integral (AIDER) 1. Education is a critical component of community- based climate change and REDD+ initiatives; Mark Moroge, it helps ensure that communities receive the Climate Program knowledge needed to make informed decisions Projects about their natural resources and actively partici- Manager, pate in REDD+ actions. Rainforest Alliance 2. The implementation of climate change and Carolina de la REDD+ education must be adapted to local Rosa, REDD+ contexts—with regionally appropriate data and Advisor, information about deforestation patterns and cli- Rainforest mate change trends—and must take into account Alliance varying literacy levels and learning styles through the inclusion of hands-on activities, graphs, and Maria Ghiso, pictures that frame complex terms in an acces- Education sible way. Program Manager, 3. The Rainforest Alliance and its partner AIDER Rainforest developed a community-based climate change Alliance education curriculum for members of the Ese’eja indigenous community in Madre de Dios. The curriculum focuses on increasing community knowledge of local environmental issues, like deforestation, and ways in which communities can address environmental challenges.

4. This effort has increased environmental aware- ness within the community and led to the implementation of community action projects related to local environmental issues. It has also improved the ability of community members to understand and engage in programs and policies that advance climate change mitigation and for- The Rainforest est conservation objectives. Alliance works Defining education to conserve The need for community-based climate education biodiversity and ensure sustain- With regards to this case study, education is able livelihoods Education and capacity building are key entry considered the deliberate act of providing by transforming points for engaging rural and indigenous commu- instruction and sharing information in order to land-use prac- nity stakeholders in REDD+ (Reducing Emissions raise awareness of a particular topic, enhance tices, business from Deforestation & Forest Degradation, plus a community’s knowledge-base, and provide practices and forest conservation) objectives, as well as other building blocks towards the practical applica- consumer climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. tion of that information. behavior. Training and education on the impacts of deforesta- www.rainforest- alliance.org 1 by planting trees alongside the town’s community Addressing differences in age, literacy and plaza, one of the main venues for meetings, events learning and community gatherings.

Approaches to community climate change edu- As part of the USAID-funded, Net Zero Deforestation cation should include a suite of dynamic activi- Zones (NZDZ) Project, the Rainforest Alliance and ties that take into account different age groups, its local partner, Asociación para la Investigación y learning styles, and literacy levels. Examples Desarrollo Integral (AIDER), are working with these include: students and their teachers to help them better understand pressing environmental issues within • Blending visual, hands-on, individualized their community, such as severe seasonal flooding learning, and group activities to address due to climate change, deforestation fueled by papa- differences in learning styles. ya cultivation, and poor logging practices. They are also examining how community-based responses— • Ensuring that materials include images, including , the establishment of timber maps, and graphs, for those with limited management committees, and strengthened com- literacy skills, as well as clear, non-technical munity governance—can help safeguard Infierno’s language, limited text, and accompanying resources for future generations. background information to help explain scientific processes. The climate change curriculum has the following objectives: • Incorporating activities for younger students, such as analyzing leaf shapes, creating • Explaining complex terms and issues related drawings and paintings of nature, and par- to REDD+ and climate change in order to ticipating in plays about the environment. enhance the capacity of community stakehold- ers to understand the challenges and opportu- nities that REDD+ represents tion, for example, can help communities make more In the Rainforest Alliance climate guide, this is informed decisions about the future of their forest accomplished through hands-on, interactive resources and better engage in discussions about activities that analyze local deforestation data REDD+ actions and policies that may affect them. and trends, and evaluate local climate change impacts. Images and graphs are also used to Despite the benefits of education, however, there remains a lack of tailored tools and approaches for engaging stakeholders in education and capacity Ensuring local relevance building efforts at the community level. The most important task in designing a locally- To address this gap in community-level climate based curriculum is to adapt it to meet the education, the Rainforest Alliance developed a cli- needs of community members. The curriculum mate change education toolkit aimed at i) fostering must resonate with its users and maintain knowledge of basic science and climate change con- relevance to their lives. Examples of important cepts, ii) preparing communities to actively engage questions to consider include: in REDD+ initiatives, and iii) increasing smallholder and community-level knowledge of actions to miti- • How will climate change affect the region, gate and adapt to climate change. In the community and what impacts are community mem- of Infierno, located in the southeastern region of bers already experiencing? Madre de Dios in Peru, this approach is supporting the uptake of sustainable land management and for- • What are the local drivers of deforestation? est conservation strategies, and it is inspiring a com- munity to better understand the impacts of their • What is the community’s resource and land land management decisions. use history?

Innovating a climate-community education toolkit • What are common ways of sharing infor- for Madre de Dios mation within the community (e.g. story- telling, radio programming, newspapers, In the Ese’eja community of Infierno, nestled within etc.) and how could these be utilized to the lush Amazonian forests of Peru’s Madre de Dios support education efforts? region, a group of school children from Hermosa Grande—a primary and secondary school—are • What are the literacy rates within the com- organizing a tree-planting campaign. They have munity, and how can non-reading mem- spent weeks learning about the and bers be effectively engaged? the important role of forests in mitigating climate change. They have also learned about sustainable • Does the educational approach account for land-use projects that are being implemented in varying ages and learning styles? the region, and they have decided to do their part

2 explain complex terms and Figure 1 address varying degrees of Depiction of literacy and scientific under- deforestation that standing. has resulted from increased min- • Developing strong relation- ing in the MDD ships with local partners region. and educational institu- Image retrieved from: http:// tions to gain their support visibleearth. and input, and to ensure nasa.gov/view. local relevance of materials php?id=78629 The Rainforest Alliance drew heavily from the expertise of our local partner, AIDER, in order to ensure the local relevance of curriculum materials. As a leading NGO based in Madre de Dios with over 25 years of experience in sustainability and envi- ronmental conservation issues, AIDER brought Reserve, which has an area of more than 270,000 extensive experience and knowledge on how to hectares consisting of old-growth Amazon rain- best meet the educational needs of local com- forests, native bamboo groves, tropical savannas, munities. and more.2 Thousands of plant and animal species, including the endangered giant river otter (Pteronura • Allowing for open discussions and exchanges brasiliensis)3, the red brocket deer (Mazama ameri- on topics of greatest interest to the community cana), the spectacled caiman (Caiman cocrodylus), The workshop setting is considered an open and the threatened South America tapir (Tapirus ter- forum for discussion. Facilitators assist with restris)4 call this place home. leading activities and addressing questions and comments from the group, but the overall The Ese’eja indigenous people live in communities structure and flow of educational workshops is along the Tambopata River, where the Giant River fluid and allows time for discussion on topics Otter swims, and alongside the buffer zones of the like carbon monitoring, changes in land man- Tambopata Reserve. In the town of Infierno, the agement regimes, and payments for ecosystems Ese’eja have lived for generations utilizing nature’s services that are of interest to participants. resources to cultivate agricultural-based livelihoods and, more recently, eco-tourism. In recent years, • Continuously collecting feedback, as well however, deforestation has put increased strains on as encouraging teachers and participants to the region’s forests and resources. reflect and collaborate on how best to adapt the resources to the needs of their communities Nearly half of Peru’s total emis- We understand that teachers know their stu- sions are a result of deforestation.5 This destruction dents best and play a critical role in their lives. is fueled in large part by the conversion of forest As such, we encourage teachers to adapt and for agriculture and cattle ranching, as well as the modify the climate change curriculum materials development of settlements, illegal logging, and if needed, and to share their feedback with us the construction of roads. The rapid expansion of about what works and what needs improvement. mining in particular, as a result of increases in gold prices, has led to unprecedented deforestation in The relationship between forests and climate the region and the subsequent release of noxious change mercury which has negatively impacted both the environment and human health. As one of the ten most mega-diverse countries, Peru’s forests and natural landscapes are some In an effort to curb these threats and raise aware- of the world’s most unique ecosystems. Peru ness among youth about the value of forest eco- contains a vast diversity of ecosystems, including systems, the Rainforest Alliance climate change desert, alpine and lowland tropical forests, eight curriculum leads learners through the causes of biogeographic regions, three major hydrological deforestation and forest degradation in the region basins containing 12,201 lakes and ponds, more and enables opportunities for discussion and than 1,000 rivers, and over 3,000 .1 The ecol- ogy of Madre de Dios echoes the rich biodiversity of the rest of the country. Located in southeastern 2. http://www.sernanp.gob.pe/sernanp/archivos/biblioteca/planes_ Peru, this region includes the Tambopata National maestros_2012/RN_TAMBOPATA/Plan%202011%20-%202016%20 RN%20Tambopata%20ver%20pub.pdf 3. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/18711/0 4. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/21474/0 1. http://www.sernanp.gob.pe/sernanp/contenido.jsp?ID=104 5. http://www.minam.gob.pe/programa-bosques/

3 Figure 2 The Tambopata River and tropi- cal rainforest in Infierno. Photo by Mark Moroge

debate about mining, agricultural expansion, and season. Palm fruit is one of the most popular forest other deforestation issues. The curriculum aims to products in the Amazon and is cultivated for a vari- build on the unique experiences and perspectives ety of uses. For example, palm fruit oil, which is high of students in order to collaboratively explore land in vitamin A, is often extracted and utilized in skin- management and REDD+ issues within the com- care products, and the fruit is often used to produce munity. Through mapping activities, for example, juices and jams.6 For families in Peru, sustainable students learn how to track changes in forest cover aguaje harvesting provides a viable supplemental and land use within Infierno over time. These maps income, thereby incentivizing the preservation of provide real-world data about stark decreases in for- palm trees and the lowland forests where they are est cover over the last twenty years. The guide also found. includes a local case study which allows students the opportunity to assess conversation efforts with- Through the Rainforest Alliance’s climate cur- in the Tambopata National Reserve and its impact riculum, students learn about local threats to the on the protection of forests in Madre de Dios. production of this valuable forest product, and how changing climatic conditions will continue to impact In addition to educating students about local drivers their communities well into the future. Additional of deforestation and the importance of forests, the impacts discussed within the curriculum include: curriculum also explores the relationship between forests and the carbon cycle, walking students • Melting glaciers: Peru contains 71 percent of through creative, hands-on activities that explain the world’s tropical glaciers, which serve as what carbon is, what the world’s major carbon sinks critical water resources. In the past 35 years, and sources of pollution are, and why forests are Peru’s glaciers have melted by 22 percent, important for mitigating climate change. Students straining the country’s water supply and hydro- further explore key challenges that the Ese’eja com- electric production. munity will likely face as a result of climate change. • Changes in precipitation patterns: In some Climate change is unfortunately already impacting parts of the country, like Madre de Dios and families and their livelihoods. Throughout January Cusco, there has been an increase in rain while and February of 2014, for instance, the onset of an in areas of the South, there has been a notice- unusually long, tumultuous rainy season in Peru able decline. Resulting and floods caused rivers to flood, which ruined crops and altered the phenology of aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa, also known as “palm fruit”), thereby reducing the 6. Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia: http://www.pacsoa.org.au/ likelihood of a productive, successful harvesting wiki/Mauritia_flexuosa http://sinia.minam.gob.pe/index.php?accion

4 Figure 3 Education & An illustration awareness Understanding Informed action Sustained of the role Identification raising about & recognition to address societal education plays of problem problem/issue of issue problem change in informed decision-making and long-term societal changes. Ex: Infierno’s Ex: Youth/com- Ex: Increased Ex: Community Ex: Forest In order to forests along riv- munity educated recognition of pursues sus- conservation is maximize their erside are under- about role of for- value of forests & tainable forest valued over impact, education valued and defor- ests in buffering importance. management and deforestation. programs should ested for papaya floods, providing other alterna- accompany cultivation. livelihoods & tive livelihoods, concrete techni- other environ- instead of agricul- cal assistance, mental services. tural expansion. training and investments in sustainable, alter- native livelihoods affect farming activities and farmer livelihoods. with different customs and backgrounds through activities. In this working in groups. way, education • Increases in the frequency and intensity of reinforces alter- the El Niño phenomenon: Climate change may Other key local stakeholders are also now beginning native production activities in a result in more frequent and severe El Niño to recognize the potential for climate change educa- virtuous circle. events in Peru. These could be similar to the tion to influence behavior. For example, the National Image modified El Niño events of 1982/83 and 1997/98, which Service of Protected Natural Areas (SERNANP), and adapted from: resulted in damage to cities and communities which is part of the Ministry of Environment in Peru, http://glen-europe. and negatively impacted Peru’s transportation, is exploring the possible use of the climate change org/global-educa- tion/what-is-glob- agriculture, energy, and education sectors. curriculum as part of capacity building activities al-education/. related to natural protected areas, climate change Through the lens of the climate change curriculum, mitigation efforts and REDD+. The Tambopata students analyze and discuss these trends and begin Reserve’s communications unit also aims to train to obtain a better understanding of the challenges professors in the Mazuco region, an informal mining ahead and how they can adapt. area within the reserve buffer zone. The team hopes that the materials will promote informed discus- More than 120 teachers and students from grades sions about the long-term future of forests and natu- 1–5 within the Ese’eja community have been trained ral resources in the area, and raise awareness about using the climate change education curriculum, and the adverse impacts of gold mining. the impacts of this education can be found through- out the community. In addition to conducting a tree- Laying the foundation for sustainable land man- planting campaign, these students have initiated agement & engagement in climate policy dialogue several community-based activities to promote for- est conservation and sustainability within Infierno: a One of the primary aims of the Rainforest Alliance general awareness raising campaign about environ- and AIDER’s work with the Ese’eja community is to mental issues and the placing of signs throughout ensure that community members, and particularly the community reinforcing the importance of the youth, obtain the education and training they need forests. Students also organized a waste collection in order to understand the relationships between campaign that highlighted the importance of reduc- land management decisions, forest cover and cli- ing and properly disposing of waste. Enthusiasm and support for the curriculum has led to its increased use; the curriculum will now form part Figure 4 of the general curricula Students review within local schools, and teachers have committed satellite data of to training and educating future classes. the area around their commu- Teachers have also integrated lessons and activi- nity to analyze ties from the climate guide into other areas of changes in forest their teaching. Professor Jorge Ernesto Zamalloa cover over time Mendoza for example, is seeing firsthand how the and make predic- curriculum has helped students learn important les- tions about the sons beyond those related to climate change. This future. includes improved biology and math competencies through measuring and evaluating plant species, a greater sense of responsibility through caring for plant seedlings, and increased respect for others

5 Figure 5 Climate change education An illustration of how climate • Teaches community stakeholders about the value of forests, change education climate change and the carbon cycle, and also discusses sus- at the com- tainable land and forest management and REDD+ without munity level can pushing specific strategies but rather allowing communities to improve the abil- discuss and debate issues together. ity of indigenous and community • Addresses gaps in climate change education and engagement stakeholders to that currently exist within government strategies and policies. engage in Peru’s emerging national policies around REDD+, Benefits of climate change education forests and climate change. Community stakeholders have improved ability to understand the Community intricacies of complex climate change, environmental and land- climate change use issues, as well as ways in which they can engage in climate education policies and strategies to build resiliency against environmental addresses some impacts and develop sustainable practices to safeguard their liveli- of the challenges related to aware- hoods. Provides minimum common understanding of key issues in ness raising, forest conservation, climate change and REDD+ to facilitate more information shar- informed and effective consultation and dialogue on these issues, ing and knowl- and participation in subsequent REDD+ activities. edge building that often accom- pany the pro- cesses of effective REDD+ consultation processes Indigenous community participation in the consultation and design of REDD+ safeguards participation for Challenge: Reaching rural indigenous communi- complex REDD+ ties at scale and ensuring a minimum common Challenge: Reaching rural indigenous communities and forest gover- understanding of basic concepts of REDD+ to support at scale and facilitating an accurate interpretation of nance legislation informed and effective participation in the consulta- what REDD+ safeguards are and how they relate to and policies. tion process. forest conservation, local development and REDD+ objectives.

Public consultation to establish regula- tions for the new forestry & wildlife law National program for conserving forests

Challenge: Reaching rural indigenous communities Challenge: Educating communities about the value at scale and ensuring a minimum common under- of forests, their contribution to mitigating climate standing of the law’s implications, to support informed change, and the pros and cons of participating in the and effective participation in the consultation process. program.

mate change. Such knowledge provides a foundation environmental ethic—as evidenced by the steady for the community’s effective and informed partici- uptake of the curriculum within schools and result- pation in public consultations, policy formulation ing student-led initiatives focused on environmental and other multi-stakeholder dialogue spaces, par- issues—and prepares youth to engage in policy and ticularly those related to REDD+ and other emerging management dialogues on complex issues like land- climate change mitigation programs. As Figure 3 use zoning and planning, community regulations illustrates, education is a crucial first step towards for timber extraction, and the role of communities informed action, and in this case, it is a critical in forest carbon monitoring and other payment-for- component of ensuring that communities can make environmental services schemes. informed decisions about their land and nature resources. The curriculum is applied at the local level, and its primary benefits include better understanding The curriculum serves to highlight the importance and dialogue vis-à-vis forest management and cli- of the environment and ways in which a commu- mate change issues. However, the curriculum also nity’s actions can positively or negatively affect supports preparation, effective participation, and the ecosystem around them. In the Ese’eja com- consultation of local communities in broader REDD+ munity, education further promotes a community consultation and capacity-building work undertaken

6 by the government of Peru as part of its REDD+ to support the development of local, regional and readiness preparation. national initiatives that reward actions to protect ecosystems and generate economic, social and envi- For example, under Executive Decree no. 008-2010- ronmental benefits to society.9 However, additional MINAN, the National Program for the Conservation clarification on how PES will be promoted, devel- of Forests to Mitigate Climate Change, the oped and incentivized, is lacking. Regardless, hav- Government of Peru has committed to protecting ing an understanding of the value of trees and the 54 million hectares of tropical forests as a means of importance of conservation will be helpful for those mitigating climate change.7 The efforts of the NZDZ communities that wish to engage in PES. project to educate teachers, youth and parents about the impacts of climate change and the impor- Conclusions tance of forests promotes an environmental ethic that encourages the conservation of forests and Supporting vigorous and informed participation contributes to the goals of this policy. by indigenous and rural communities in dialogue, strategy development and policy design concerning Climate change education lays a foundation for the their natural resources is a goal shared by many Ese’eja community to engage more effectively in in the climate change and REDD+ arena. Yet at the emerging policies and strategies around REDD+ and local level, many communities still lack access to payments for ecosystem services. The Government basic educational tools and materials that explain of Peru’s completion of a REDD+ Readiness Proposal the complexities of forest management and climate Plan (R-PP) is a sign of an emerging strategy to change. The climate change education efforts being encourage the advancement of REDD+ policies and undertaken within the Ese’eja indigenous communi- actions.8 As part of this plan, the government com- ty of Infierno in Madre de Dios, Peru, are one exam- mits to ensuring that rural and indigenous communi- ple of how this gap in education can be addressed, ties are an active part of the process of designing and how education can help communities make REDD+ policies. This commitment embodies the better informed decisions about their forests and principles of Free Prior and Informed Consent resources, as well as lay the foundation for sustain- (FPIC), which asserts that communities must be able land management. informed about projects that affect their land, and engaged and in agreement with the activities of The Ese’eja community has benefited from its adher- these projects. However, work remains to ensure ence to a community-based educational approach that communities understand climate change and that provides opportunities to analyze and discuss REDD+, as well as why forests are important. It local deforestation and climate change challenges, is difficult for communities to engage in complex as demonstrated by its actions to promote forest political discussions about their resources without conservation. These localized educational efforts first understanding the basic scientific and environ- can also positively impact broader regional and mental concepts at play related to forests, climate national goals related to forest conservation and change, and REDD+. Community climate change initiatives for payment for environmental services. education, as promoted by the Rainforest Alliance We encourage national stakeholders to consider climate curriculum, helps to fill this gap and contrib- how experiences and lessons learned from the com- utes to laying a solid foundation for engaging indig- munity-based climate change education approach enous groups in REDD+ preparation, in advance of in Madre de Dios can be leveraged to inform and Peru’s national REDD+ consultation phase. prepare indigenous communities for effectively participating in forthcoming public consultation pro- Having a basic understanding of the value of for- cesses on REDD+, the Forestry and Wildlife Law, and ests, in terms of the services they provide to com- other climate-related policies. We also believe this munities and also their economic value, will also approach could contribute to enhancing community prove useful to communities who wish to engage dialogue and decision-making concerning natural in discussions around payments for ecosystem resources, development alternatives and the oppor- services (PES). A new law passed in June 2014 aims tunities and constraints presented by REDD+. USA Bolivia 7. http://sinia.minam.gob.pe/index.php?accion=verElemento&idElemen Cameroon toInformacion=378&idformula= 9. http://www.minam.gob.pe/notas-de-prensa/conoce-como-funciona-la- Canada 8. http://forestcarbonpartnership.org/sites/fcp/files/2014/February/R- recien-aprobada-ley-de-servicios-ecosistemicos/http://www.sernanp. Costa Rica PP%20Per%C3%BA%20Final%20Dec%202013-RESALTADO.pdf gob.pe/sernanp/contenido.jsp?ID=104PP Ecuador Ghana Guatemala Honduras Indonesia Kenya Mexico Nicaragua Peru United Kingdom www.rainforest- Rainforest Alliance • 233 Broadway, 28th Floor • New York, NY 10279-2899 • T: +1.212.677.1900 • F: +1.212.677.2187 alliance.org 7