BAJO ATRATO REDD+ PROJECT
Wildlife Works arrived at the right time, when we needed it most. They arrived to accompany our process and work as a team to fulfill the goals we have as a community and Community Council of the Cacarica River Basin.
>33,000
COMMUNITY
PARTNERS
209,317
HECTARES OF
FOREST PROTECTED
16
ENDANGERED
SPECIES PROTECTED
668,184
tCO2e EMISSIONS
AVOIDED PER YEAR
-Georgiana Portocarrero
COMMUNITY COUNCIL OF THE CACARICA RIVER BASIN
OVERVIEW
Nestled within the Chocó-Darién bioregion along Colombia's Pacific coastline, the tropical rainforests of Bajo Atrato are one of the world's top ten biodiversity hotspots. These forests provide a suite of environmental services, as well as habitat for endangered species such as the cotton-top tamarin and great green macaw. This region is renowned for its ecological richness as well as the resilience and collective spirit of its community members.
The nine Community Councils of the Bajo Atrato REDD+ Project are made up of Afro-descendant families who have been located in the Bajo Atrato region since the 1900s. For the most part, the ancestors of these communities were enslaved Africans who found a home in the area. Over the years, they have built their own ways of knowing and relating to the territory, based on religious and spiritual beliefs, the creation of ethno-ecological knowledge and new forms of political organization protected by Colombian legislation.
THREAT TO THE FOREST
The rainforests of Colombia's Bajo Atrato region face a multitude of threats. Deforestation in Colombia is the result of a complex combination of historical and socio-economic factors. Deforestation driven by illegal logging, unplanned agricultural expansion, and gold mining threatens these ancient forests.
Industrialized mining operations, particularly for gold, have put the landscape under further pressure. New mining techniques can pollute the rivers with heavy metals and chemicals like mercury and cyanide, effectively poisoning the ecosystem's lifeblood.
The Bajo Atrato region has also experienced conflicts over land tenure and resource ownership, often involving indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. These conflicts can result in land grabbing, displacement of communities, and further degradation of the rainforest. The insidious influence of the drug trade also poses a threat for deforestation for coca cultivation and cocaine production.
THE PROJECT
In response to the threats that loom over the forests of Bajo Atrato, the nine Community Councils, their 72 communities, and Wildlife Works co-created the Bajo Atrato REDD+ Project.
The actions that will reduce deforestation and forest degradation in the Bajo Atrato REDD+ Project area are aligned with goals identified during the first meetings with the communities and during the Free, Prior and Informed Consent process. These actions are aimed at launching four main activities:
1) Community forest management
2) Strengthening self-governance
3) Development of sustainable economic alternatives
4) Adaptation to climate change.
THE DETAILS
START DATE: OCTOBER, 2019
DURATION: 30 YEARS
PROJECT TYPE: Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation and/or Degradation (AUDD)
METHODOLOGY: VM0009
REGISTRY: VERRA
THIRD-PARTY VERIFIED ☑
BIODIVERSITY
The project areas boast a remarkable diversity of forest ecosystems, ranging from tropical floodplain forests to cloud forests. Moreover, these areas harbor a wealth of endemic species, including jaguars, cotton-top tamarins, and Baird’s tapirs, underscoring their significant ecological value.
STRENGTHENED GOVERNANCE
Through a rigorous and comprehensive Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, 33 decision-making events have been conducted. These gatherings were related to the design of the benefit distribution plan and the dissemination of information regarding the REDD+ project.
INCLUSIVITY AND GENDER EQUALITY
A total of 206 women and 1,094 young individuals actively participated in decision-making events, emphasizing inclusivity and representation across diverse demographics. Additionally, 30 young people and 32 women have undergone specialized training in leadership and governance, fostering gender equality and empowering the next generation of leaders.
SUSTAINABLE JOBS
The project has not only created sustainable job opportunities but has also fostered local community engagement and contributed to the development of conservation projects.
IMPACT
HIGHLIGHTS
The nine Community Councils of the Bajo Atrato REDD+ Project are made up of Afro-descendant families who have been located in the Bajo Atrato region since the 1900s. For the most part, the ancestors of these communities were enslaved Africans, who found the area as a safe place to live after slavery was abolished. Over the years, they have built their own ways of knowing and relating to the territory and nature, based on religious and spiritual beliefs, the creation of ethno -ecological knowledge and the creation of new forms of political organization protected by the Colombian legislation, which also includes migrant peasant families from the Cordoba savanna, who created the most recent settlement processes.
Traditionally, Afro-Colombian communities in Bajo Atrato relied on the forest for a variety of non-timber forest products including fruits, nuts, medicinal plants, and materials for handicrafts. Community members also participated in small-scale agriculture, growing plantains, yams, cassava, and bananas, and fishing to meet local needs. Artisanal miners also extracted gold from riverbeds and streams using basic tools and techniques.
The Bajo Atrato REDD+ Project is developed in an area that is made up of 72 communities, gathered in the collective territories of nine Community Councils. The community councils that own the project are:
Consejo Comunitario de la Cuenca del Río Quiparadó
Consejo Comunitario del Río Curbaradó
Consejo Comunitario de la Cuenca del Río Salaquí
Consejo Comunitario de la Cuenca del Río Cacarica
Consejo Comunitario de Truandó Medio La Teresita
Consejo Comunitario de Bocas de Taparal
Consejo Comunitario de Dos Bocas
Consejo Comunitario de La Nueva Truandó
Consejo Comunitario de Clavellino
COMMUNITY STORIES
ARTICLE 01
LA NEGRA TAMBORENA
ARTICLE 02
DROUGHT IN CHOCÓ
Listen to communities talk about how the dry season affects their daily lives and what sustainable alternatives could be implemented to improve these conditions
THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS
° Saguinus oedipus
COTTON-TOP TAMARIN
The cotton-top tamarin, a small primate which weighs less than a pound, is named for the cotton ball-esque fluff of white hair on its head. Cotton-top tamarins are among the most endangered primates in the world, with only about 6,000 remaining in the wild. This species is endemic to northwestern Colombia, and their tropical forest habitat is being destroyed for cattle ranching, agriculture, and urban development. Cotton-tops are also captured and illegally sold as pets.
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° Panthera Onca
JAGUAR
Jaguars are the largest cat species in South America, and have great ecological, cultural, and spiritual significance. It is estimated that around 15,000 jaguars remain in Colombia, and about 170,000 jaguars persist in the Americas as a whole. The species once stretched from the southern United States to northern Argentina, but its range has since been halved and the species is extinct in several countries, due to the primary threats of habitat loss, illegal trade, hunting, and climate change.
° Ara ambiguus
GREAT GREEN MACAW
With its bright shades of green, the Great Green Macaw is unlikely to be confused with any other bird. The Great Green Macaw is the third heaviest parrot on our planet, and can live up to 70 years. A social bird, Great Green Macaws live in family groups of around five or six individuals, which patrol small home ranges for fruiting trees where they can feed. Due to habitat loss and the illegal pet trade, this species is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
° Psarocolius cassini
BAUDÓ OROPENDOLA
The Baudó oropendola is a striking bird native to the rainforests of Colombia. Sporting vibrant black and yellow plumage, the males showcase their pendulous, basket-like nests, which are meticulously woven from vines. The Baudó oropendola faces severe threats to its conservation. The Chocó rainforest, its primary habitat, is under relentless pressure from deforestation, driven by logging, agriculture, and infrastructure development. Additionally, climate change further exacerbates the challenges, altering the delicate balance of the ecosystem which it relies on.
THE
BIODIVERSITY
The tropical rainforests of the Chocó-Darién bioregion on Colombia’s Pacific coast make up one of the world’s top ten biodiversity hotspots. The project areas are rich with wildlife and a variety of valuable ecosystem types such as tropical floodplain forest, grassland, and sub-Andean forest. Threats to the forest mainly include unplanned expansion of the agricultural frontier, extensive cattle ranching, forest fires, the cultivation of illicit crops and illegal timber extraction. To help reduce these drivers of deforestation, our project activities include increased forest monitoring and protection, fostering sustainable use of forest resources, generating community-based economic alternatives, strengthening forest governance, and preventing forest fires.
THE FOREST
MAI NDOMBE
DRC
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project protects 300,000 hectares of tropical rainforest.
PACIFIC ECOREGION
COLOMBIA
In the Pacific Coastal Ecoregion of Colombia, we have 3 projects in development to protect 500,000 hectares of forest.
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