The initiative will help create a more sustainable source of income for local farmers in Pará, Brazil, while restoring native rainforests and combating climate change by naturally trapping and storing carbon
Amazon, The Nature Conservancy launch agroforestry and restoration programme. (Credit: Amazon.com, Inc.)
Amazon in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental organisation, has introduced a new initiative, The Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator, to support farmers and cut emissions in the Brazilian Amazonian region.
The initiative will help create a more sustainable source of income for local farmers in Pará, Brazil, while restoring native rainforests and combating climate change by naturally trapping and storing carbon.
The Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator, a carbon removal project, forms part of Amazon’s commitment to meeting The Climate Pledge, which has been jointly established by Amazon and Global Optimism.
Amazon said that it is continuing to innovate and invest in decarbonising its businesses as part of its commitment to meet The Climate Pledge.
Amazon worldwide sustainability vice president Kara Hurst said: “Restoring the world’s forests is one of the most meaningful actions we can take right now to address climate change, and it will require innovative solutions to be successful.
“We are proud to launch the Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator in partnership with The Nature Conservancy to support solutions that prioritize high environmental integrity and strong community benefits.
“Amazon is looking forward to contributing our passion for innovation along with financial support to improve the livelihoods of local communities in Brazil, while helping to protect the planet for future generations.”
The initial investment by Amazon in the Accelerator will support 3,000 farmers and restore about 20,000 hectares within three years, eliminating up to 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through 2050.
Working closely with the World Agroforestry Centre and several local civil society organisations, the Nature Conservancy will implement the Accelerator by helping small farmers restore degraded cattle pastures to native forest and agroforestry.
The agroforestry systems will provide farmers with a sustainable source of income through the sale of cocoa and other crops.
The Accelerator will explore new methods to support farmers and nurture markets for sustainable forest-based commodities.
It will also advance new methodologies and satellite-based technologies for quantifying and monitoring carbon removal.
The Nature Conservancy CEO Jennifer Morris said: “Pará is home to 9% per cent of the world’s tropical forest, but it’s facing unprecedented rates of deforestation, losing 3,300 acres every day in the last year.
“Over the last 13 years, small farms in Pará – an area where slash-and-burn agriculture can seem like the only option – were responsible for an average of 40% of the state’s deforestation.”
“This new partnership with Amazon will allow us to provide the resources and technical assistance needed to advance this program and demonstrate that regenerative agroforestry and carbon markets are viable business models for communities in the Amazon.”