Carrasco National Park, Cochabamba, Bolivia
ArBolivia
ArBolivia
The ArBolivia Project aims to promote reforestation by connecting local Bolivian smallholders with ethical timber investors, while also generating carbon credits for the benefit of local communities.
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View full detailsProject highlights
Project stats
- Participants: 676 smallholder households
- Planted: 2007
Project partner
- Asociación Accidental Cetefor-Sicirec
Reduction type
- Removal
Additional Benefits
Community involvement
Habitat conservation
Sustainable source of timber
Diversified income for project host
About
The investment cost of more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices has traditionally forced many smallholders in Bolivia to employ slash-and-burn techniques, which threaten the western fringes of the Amazon. This project is the culmination of more than 5 years of research and consultation between local co-operatives, regional and international development agencies and ecological consultants.
Net revenues from the sustainably managed timber are shared equally between the project developers and the farmers, with the former providing the investment capital and the latter providing land and labour. ArBolivia has been acknowledged for its role not only in mitigating the impact of climate change but also in providing quantifiable benefits both for the communities in which it operates and for biodiversity in the region.
Farmers can choose from 12 native tree species. By aggregating supplies for timber merchants ArBolivia can secure much higher prices than individual smallholders can achieve by themselves. Some of the species take only 10 years to mature but the most valuable timber species may take up to 40 years – far longer than any commercial forestry enterprise can entertain, so the ability to generate carbon credits whilst the trees are growing is vital.
Project details
Technology, mechanism and certifications
This woodland is accredited by Plan Vivo, a certification body with over 25 years of experience in developing frameworks for community and smallholder land-use and forestry projects that strive to make a difference.
Project duration
This project’s crediting period is 40 years. Please refer to Plan Vivo’s website for more details on risk management and permanence criteria.
SDGs
FAQs
How do you ensure the integrity and quality of projects that are far away (international)?
Unlike our UK projects, we do not have a direct hand in the development of the projects we retail from overseas. However, we ensure we carefully select the projects we list by working with trusted, long-standing partners. All projects are certified under recognised high-quality standards that adhere to science-based core principles.
We continually look to improve how we assess the projects we offer, including using third-party experts to carry out analysis, due diligence and vetting.
Who is behind the Carbon Club? How do I know if I can trust it?
The Carbon Club is powered by Forest Carbon, one of the UK’s most established and experienced woodland and peatland project developers. We’ve been around since before there was even a standard in place to regulate the sale of carbon credits in the UK (so we helped to develop one). You can learn more about our experience and story here.
Looking to support a whole project? Need more than 300 tCO2?
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