Chocó-Darién Conservation Corridor

Anthrotect delivers on validation by the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standards (CCB) for their business model designed to produce carbon offsets through reducing deforestation and degradation in Northwestern Colombia. The project was awarded CCB Gold Level status in recognition for its exceptional social and environmental benefits, including explicit measures for adapting to climate change, empowering globally poorer communities, and conserving one of the world’s most unique ecosystems.

Led by Anthrotect, the Chocó-Darién Conservation Corridor engages Afro-Colombian and indigenous landowners to improve natural resource management in the Chocó, a region known for its high levels of biological diversity and endemism. The Chocó biogeographic region is an area of tropical rainforest larger than Costa Rica, that extends from Panama to Ecuador along the entire Pacific coast of Colombia. Over 500 species of birds have been registered in the project area, in addition to endangered mammals like the puma, jaguar, tapir, and spectacled bear. Two adjacent national parks (Los Katíos in Colombia and Daríen in Panama) are recognized by UNESCO as Natural World Heritage sites for their natural and cultural wealth.

“Carbon assets generated through forest stewardship are one the most promising economic alternatives for Afro-descendant and indigenous peoples in Colombia” said Brodie Ferguson, Founder of Anthrotect. Furthermore, Brodie says, “Our approach to community-based conservation means that, for the first time, forest-dependent communities in the Chocó can generate income from ecosystem services markets while preserving their traditional ways of life.” In addition to employment in conservation activities and a role in project management, community stakeholders receive 50% of net profits generated from the project.

Anthrotect’s innovative business model monetizes avoided carbonemissions (C02e) by building the governance capacity of community landowners. Project activities include raising awareness of collective identity and rights, resolving land disputes, and constructing creative and strategic plans for land use. Financial and administrative oversight for the project is ensured through a novel partnership with the Fund for Environmental Action, a Colombian non-profit environmental trust fund. Aided by state of the art laser remote sensing technology, community patrols monitor forest biomass and wildlife habitat. Additionally, the project provides considerable investment into compatible business models by improving agricultural practices and technologies. Over its 30-year lifespan, the project expects to prevent the emission of over 2.3 million tons of C02 into the atmosphere.

“Our business model is premised on the belief that participating communities are best positioned as equal partners in the project to guarantee durable conservation and financial dividends over the long term,” said Emily Roynestad, Business Development Director at Anthrotect. She adds, “The Chocó-Darién Corridor project is an attractive development alternative for Afro-descendant and indigenous landowners in Colombia. It demonstrates the potential for carbon finance to encourage a proactive approach to work for a better future.”

Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) is a partnership of international NGOs and research institutes seeking to promote integrated solutions to land management around the world. With this goal in mind, the CCBA has developed voluntary standards to help design and identify land management activities that simultaneously minimize climate change, support sustainable development, and conserve biodiversity. Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) provided verification services for the CCBA accreditation.

About Anthrotect

Founded in 2007, Anthrotect is a private environmental services partnership that works with community landholders to design and implement payment for ecosystem services (PES) projects that engage emerging markets for carbon and biodiversity. Anthrotect enables communities living in areas of global ecological importance to produce measurable conservation outcomes through best practices for conservation and sustainable resource use.

www.anthrotect.com

About Fund for Environmental Action

The Fund for Environmental Action is a Colombian non-profit organization established to finance projects of environmental conservation and child welfare implemented by non-governmental and community-based organizations. The Fund for Environmental Action strengthens the management capacities of communities represented in Boards of Community Action, NGOs, the local councils of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities, among others, so that these groups can effectively manage natural resources and benefit from them.

www.accionambiental.org

About Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)

SCS has been providing global leadership in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing and standards development since 1984. SCS programs span a wide cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, retailing and more.

www.scscertified.com

About EcoAnalytics

Ecoanalytics provides market intelligence for carbon markets, biomass energy markets, and other investments that use environmental finance to build capacity among stakeholders. One of the company’s key goals are to help financiers place capital and project developers find capital to build projects that are financially, environmentally, and socially sound.

www.ecoadata.com

About Climate Community and Biodiversity Alliance

The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Project Design Standards (CCB Standards) evaluate land-based carbon mitigation projects in the early stages of development. The CCB Standards foster the integration of best-practice and multiple-benefit approaches into project design and evolution. The Standards: 1) identify projects that simultaneously address climate change, support local communities and conserve biodiversity, 2) promote excellence and innovation in project design, and 3) mitigate risk for investors and increase funding opportunities for project developers.

www.climate-standards.org

Anthrotect

Anthrotect

Founded in 2007, Anthrotect is a private environmental services partnership that works with community landholders to design and implement payment for ecosystem services (PES) projects that engage emerging markets for carbon and biodiversity. Anthrotect enables communities living in areas of global ecological importance to produce measurable conservation outcomes through best practices for conservation and sustainable resource use.

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