CORDILLERA AZUL NATIONAL PARK PROJECT

Transforming communities, Measurable impacts We track performance in seven impact forest and land use in Peru areas across all our projects, and this project also produces sustainable The Cordillera Azul project (spanish for “Blue Mountain”) commodities. Here are the targets to protects the Cordillera Azul National Park located in central the end of 2021 for Cordillera Azul. Peru. The stunning mountains, sparkling blue lagoons, rich CLIMATE: biodiversity, and multi-cultural population have earned this 25.2 million tonnes of area the name the ‘jewel of the Peruvian Amazon’. Central to CO2 emissions avoided the integrity of the conservation is community engagement and ECOsysTEMs: the development of sustainable livelihoods in the margins of 1.6 million hectares the park, including technical assistance with cacao agroforestry of threatened forest systems and quality of life plans with local and indigenous protected communities to improve access to education, sanitation, and sPECIEs: healthcare. The total area served by the project is nearly 4 28 High Conservation million hectares, an area about the size of the Netherlands. Value species, including spectacled bear, jaguar and harpy eagle livelihoods. Cacao, coffee, and palm oil production drive the area’s economic LIvELIhOODs: PERU activity and migration into the area, 665 jobs created or causing deforestation and forest supported degradation. Illegal logging, cattle ranching, ‘slash and burn’ agriculture, INCLUsIvITy: illicit agriculture, and infrastructure 40% of jobs held by development are also contributing women The Cordillera to forest loss in the region. Azul National sUsTAINAbLE Park Project ENTERPRIsE: Climate change mitigation 26 sustainable businesses The Cordillera Azul project addresses supported, such as a the regions’ drivers of deforestation women’s textile group Project area and its threats by funding conservation whilst using dyes from the forest The Cordillera Azul National Park supporting local communities in their to make bags & shirts spans approximately 1.6 million transition to sustainable livelihoods. using traditional hectares, making it one of the largest By properly valuing and paying techniques & patterns protected areas in Peru. Stretching for this carbon-storing service the across four regions, San Martin, forests provide, climate finance in the FAIR ECONOMIC RETURN: Loreto, Huánuco and Ucayali, the form of carbon credits changes the ¤844,035 contributed to park extends from mountainous cloud economic incentives by rewarding local economy forests to lush Amazonian lowlands. forest protection and providing education to local farmers to ensure sUsTAINAbLE Whilst there are no formal human a secure, commercially viable income COMMODITIEs: settlements within the park, stream through low-carbon land Fair Trade & Organic Cordillera Azul lies at the centre use. The project will reduce global fine, aromatic cacao of a highly productive region with emissions by 25.2 million tonnes of and coffee; honey

520 rural villages and indigenous CO2 by 2021 – equivalent to taking communities, all of which rely heavily over 4.7 million cars off the road for a on local natural resources for their year.

Ecosphere+ Ltd ecosphereplus ecosphere.plus ecosphere.plus www.ecosphere.plus [email protected] Protecting biodiversity Cordillera Azul is home to a number of unique habitats, with an estimated 6,000 species of plants, more than 80 large and medium- sized mammals, about 180 fish species and over 600 bird species. This includes 28 high conservation value (HCV) species, including the spectacled bear, jaguar and harpy eagle. Conservation and protection activities inside the forest include biological monitoring and scientific research, as well as surveillance and control of illegal human behaviours.

One of the most famous inhabitants is the species that Paddington Bear belongs to, the Spectacled Bear. The main threat to these bears is Copyright: Heinz Plenge destruction and fragmentation of ‘Paddington’ spectacled bear Azulina with her adoring cub, Little Blue their habitat, making it difficult for them to travel through the forests to the Ucayali and the Huallaga Rivers - what communities aim to achieve over collect food such as ripe fruit, wild that feed 45 watersheds. These the next decade and working out the berries, cacti and honey. Our work watersheds provide key ecosystem steps to meeting these objectives. to protect forests and support local services such as flood and erosion communities protects the bears’ protection to surrounding areas, in Livelihoods environment long-term, by making addition to supporting local agriculture. Cordillera Azul is renowned for its trees more valuable alive than felled. distinctive cultural diversity, and the local and indigenous communities Working with communities play a pivotal role in maintaining Ecosystem resilience Community engagement is integral the integrity of the project. They are The Cordillera Azul project stretches to ensuring the project is socially drivers of their own transformation from the Andes to the Amazon Basin, inclusive. Our NGO partner on the and are vital to ensuring that the supporting and strengthening the ground, CIMA, has been working in positive global climate impact resilience of the region. Its diverse the area since 2002 to strengthen of Cordillera Azul is lasting. ecosystems including mountain forest, local communities, build their hill forest, alluvial forest and wetlands capacity, and develop ‘Quality support the local community’s capacity of Life’ plans. The plans help to to adapt to a rapidly changing climate. improve access to basic services The Park is also the source of two of and establish sustainable economic the Amazon River’s major tributaries – opportunities by forming a vision of

Green list award The Cordillera Azul National Park project in Peru has been recognised by the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas. The IUCN Green List programme is an internationally recognized standard for how protected areas should be managed and aims to encourage, achieve and promote effective, equitable and successful protected areas by highlighting examples of excellent conservation of natural areas.

The Cordillera Azul project empowers women cacao farmers

Ecosphere+ Ltd ecosphereplus ecosphere.plus ecosphere.plus www.ecosphere.plus [email protected] sustainable economic development In the area surrounding the National Park, CIMA helps local farmers integrate commercially viable and sustainable practices into their work, including the development of a cacao processing facility that will help local farmers add more value per hectare of cultivation. To date, project investment in Cordillera Azul has created Quality of Life Plans with 35 communities and improved access to fresh water, sanitation and better schools for 5,000 people. sUsTAINAbLE ENTERPRIsE Small enterprises are vital to creating positive change in rural communities, but many of them lack sufficient capacity or market connections to Revitalizing and supporting indigenous crafting techniques and textile design succeed and scale without external support. The Cordillera Azul project Sustainable commodities Project implementing partner works with local enterprises, focusing The Cordillera Azul project supports Our partner on the ground is the on effective management, forest-friendly, sustainable commodity Peruvian NGO, CIMA, an organization profitability, solvency, and access to production by partnering with committed to conserving, studying and finance which creates positive, long- experienced local cooperatives managing protected areas. CIMA has term, lasting change. By 2021, the and smallholder farmers in and a 20-year agreement with the National project aims to support 26 enterprises around the project area. Authority for Protected Areas in Peru such as a women’s textile group using (SERNANP) for the daily management dyes from the forest to make bags and The region around Cordillera Azul of the Cordillera Azul National Park. shirts using traditional techniques and has been producing cacao for many CIMA’s efforts in Cordillera Azul are patterns – a great example of working years, and several cacao cooperatives internationally recognised for outstanding with the forest rather than against it. are established. The project works conservation outcomes through a with many communities cultivating collaborative, landscape approach with cacao and has established a cacao local, national and international partners. post-harvest centre in Maronilla, serving 220 cacao farmers and Nested credits their families in the area. Carbon credits generated The project also supports the Ronda by the Cordillera Azul Campesina de Santa Rosa de Shapaja, REDD+ project are formally a community forest protection acknowledged by the Peruvian organization, to train in bee-keeping, External standards Ministry of Environment honey extraction and sale. Honey The Cordillera Azul project is validated (MINAM) and are accounted sales have proven profitable and the by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS for in the country’s national community are looking to expand project ID 985) and the Climate, registry through a ‘nested’ their production whilst continuing to Community, and Biodiversity Standard approach. Nesting this fund the protection of their forests. (CCB) to the gold level for biodiversity. The Ronda was initially donor project within Peru’s REDD+ financed, but the community did programme means that the not want to be reliant on donations retired carbon credits, even for the conservation of their forest. internationally transacted Honey production enables them ones, are not double counted. to become self-sufficient. Avoiding double counting is essential to achieving a 1.5°C warming scenario and ensures the credibility of corporate climate action claims. The Cordillera Azul project advances many Sustainable Development Goals

Ecosphere+ Ltd ecosphereplus ecosphere.plus ecosphere.plus www.ecosphere.plus [email protected] Cordillera Azul National Park, Peru Impact targets for 2021

ECOSYSTEMS SPECIES

of threatened forest under improved CLIMATE 1.6m ha conservation management, including: 25.2m 28 HCV species carbon protected. New species of blind, cave-dwelling credits (tonnes CO ) 870k ha 390k ha 54k ha 20k ha catfish discovered 2 of mountain of hill forest of Alluival of Wetlands forest forest ecosystems

INCLUSIVITY LIVELIHOODS SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE Jobs supported 26 Develop Worked with 8 Helped 6 665 ‘Quality of Life communities to communities sustainable Plans’ with improve to improve enterprises their schools, created or supported 35 5,000 benefiting communities residents’ access to fresh 5,000 water and sanitation people 40% are held by women

Climate Species Inclusivity Work with communities to strengthen them, The project will avoid 25.2 million tonnes of CO2. 28 high conservation value (HCV) species protected. The project has been internationally build their capacity and develop community-driven Ecosystems recognised for its focus on critical ecosystem plans to improve livelihoods. Protect the ecosystem by bringing 1.6m ha of services. Sustainable Enterprise threatened forest under improved conservation Livelihoods Work with or develop up to 26 enterprises as management, including increasing surveillance Support farmers growing forest-friendly a result of outreach and engagement process and control of human behaviours. coffee and cocoa and local people making through ‘Quality of Life Plans’. textiles and crafts.

All numbers are targets are for 2021 unless otherwise stated