Chocó-Darién Rainforest Conservation REDD+, Colombia
Working with indigenous forest-dependent communities to build sustainable economic livelihoods and protect a global biodiversity hotspot
Project Type: Natural climate solutions, Forest conservation (REDD+)
Standards: CCB, VCS
The Chocó-Darién region, extending from Eastern Panama to the Colombian Pacific coast, is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world covering an area of over 13,000km2. Implemented with indigenous community groups, the project aims to prevent deforestation across 13,000 hectares through a combination of forest protection and sustainable development activities. Working with 2,000 people across 33 communities, the project reduces community dependence on unsustainable timber extraction and unsustainable agricultural practices such as cattle ranching, by building governance capacity and developing sustainable production methods.
Communities receive at least 50% of carbon revenues to invest in alternative livelihood activities.
Sustainable Development Goals
In addition to delivering emissions reductions to help take urgent action to combat climate change (SDG 13), we expect the project to deliver a number of other benefits. The contributions towards the SDGs have been indicatively measured but need to be confirmed by the project developers:
- Life on Land: The project is located in a moist forest ecoregion considered to be one of the most species rich lowlands in the world. By protecting this important ecosystem, the project will directly contribute to protecting, and potentially enhancing species populations in the project zone that feature on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) Red List as Critically Endangered and Endangered.
- Quality Education: By educating communities on collective land rights, forming collective land-use plans, and training on biodiversity assessments, the project is building governance capacity and equipping communities with the necessary skills to improve the management of the protected area.
Read More information to find out how the project delivers other sustainable development benefits.
- Gender Equality: Since the project started, women have successfully occupied many of the administrative positions in project management, and are receiving training in forest management and monitoring.
- Decent Work and Economic Growth: Eight full-time project management roles have been created for managerial and administrative positions, and the forest carbon accounting and forest rangers team. There are also more than 30 part-time jobs for carbon inventory, monitoring, and support roles.