Forest Economy – Active Forest
Active Forest is a platform for socio-economic opportunities aimed at the sustainable management of the forest, strengthening productive chains that make the best use of the Amazon’s potential for agroecological and forestry projects, bioeconomy and environmental services. Such activities help to mitigate deforestation and CO2 emissions and, at the same time, promote food security, income increase and social inclusion of the involved communities.
The historical economic basis of traditional Amazonian communities includes hunting, fishing, extractivism and subsistence agriculture, generally with little circulation of money. This model has been pressured by new economic cycles (based on monoculture, mining and logging), which, in the way they are implemented, have increased the processes of predatory occupation and deforestation instead of improving the socio-economic development rates of the region.
The Amazon has the potential to supply the country with its natural resources, but new references are needed for a future-focused economy that sees the the environment as potential and not an obstacle. That is, a standing forest economy. Our country is one of the largest holders of natural assets on the planet; 60% of the Amazon biome is located in Brazil, with significant socio-cultural diversity. Additionally, Brazil is gaining strategic importance in a context of climate change, low carbon economies and international agreements for the distribution of benefits biodiversity and ecosystem services.
If managed in a sustainable way, these resources can ensure Brazil’s and the planet’s future. However, the current system must give way to more efficient, modern and environmentally friendly practices, producing more with less land and less deforestation.
The PSA initiatives in this area focus on sustainable entrepreneurship, seeking to promote the community-based forest economy in regional development, aimed at increasing riverside families’ income from the better use of agroextractivist products, family farming, bioeconomy and environmental services. This work assures good management of natural resources, lands and the standing forest.
Partnerships and Participating Populations
In partnership with local organizations, Active Forest focuses on the extractive rural populations in Agroextractive Settlement Projects (ASPs), Conservation Units (CUs), Indigenous Territories (ITs) and Quilombola Territories (QTs) of Western Pará, one of the Amazon regions with the most increased deforestation, forest fires and socio-environmental conflicts.
Socioproductive Units
Agroecology and Repositioning of the Forest
Sociobiodiversity Chains
Community and Artisanal Tourism
Renewable Energies
Socioenvironmental Business Incubator
Investors
Active Forest has the financial support of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), with resources from the Amazon Fund. Approved on July 24 of 2018, with an execution deadline of 36 months, the project has an estimated total investment of R$ 12,493,011.
The collaboration of the Amazon Fund/BNDES is linked to sectorial counterpart agreements, such as the Mott Foundation (Renewable Energies), Avina Foundation (Water), the Ministry of Citizenship (Sanitation) and Caritas-Switzerland (Youth Entrepreneurship), other than smaller ones. From 2020 on, we will count on the support of “Criança Esperança”.
Rádio Mocoronga
Contact
- Av. Mendonça Furtado, 3979
- +55 93 3067-8000
- +55 93 99143-1091
- psa@saudeealegria.org.br
HOW TO HELP
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