Carbon Neutral Shipping

Protecting rainforests from illegal timber extraction

In addition to supporting projects that help plant and re-forest areas we also help to protect our forests and eco-systems from destruction caused by illegal deforestation. We are currently supporting the Acapa - Bajo Mira y Frontera project by Pachama in Colombia. 

Acapa - Bajo Mira y Frontera Forest Conservation Project in Colombia

The project looks to protect the old-growth rainforest on the land. Historically, illegal timber extraction is an important source of income within the project zone and is the major focus of this project. Following from the gradual degradation of forests caused by continual timber extraction, many forest areas are ultimately converted to agriculture and pasture. The project aims to alleviate these pressures on the forests through the support of governance capacity (including individual property titling, land-use planning and conservation zone demarcation), the generation of alternative economic activities and income sources, and through capacity building in administration and management. By creating these alternative avenues and having the communities directly own and govern the project, the project looks to reduce the illegal harvesting.

Co-benefits Biodiversity Benefits

Providing alternative livelihoods to community members is a core project activity, which aims to address the root cause of deforestation and forest degradation which is economic. This project will provide value chain infrastructure, technical training, and access to financial capital to support the sustainable extraction of non-timber forest products such as açai. Agricultural products on already converted lands such as cocoa, will be further developed and commercialized. The development of value chains provides income to farming families as well as community councils. It is assumed that people will shift towards these alternative livelihoods, which have a significantly greater return, than their current livelihoods, which rely on timber extraction. Since the project’s inception, local communities have actively participated. Community support has culminated in the project creation of Community Councils with legal representatives as well as a wide-reaching General Assembly which votes for representatives to ensure community governance.