REALU progress in Peru
Saving existing forests, or planting new ones, is
one way of tackling global warming. This idea
underpins all the discussions, and projects, related
to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and
Forest Degradation (REDD). However, scientists
from the World Agroforestry Centre have argued
that REDD projects frequently do not go far enough,
as significant forest-related carbon emissions occur
outside areas designated as forests. Hence the
concept of REALU – Reducing Emissions from All
Land Uses.
Last year's annual report described work in Peru
under the first phase of the REALU project. Since
then, under the second phase, there has been
significant progress in analysing the potential of
REALU for some of the heavily deforested regions of
the country.
During the early months of 2011, Peru's REALU
team of scientists participated in a series of meetings
in Ucayali region. The first, attended by 45 people
from 20 different institutions, analysed all the REDDrelated
activities currently being undertaken in Peru
and helped to clarify the precise meaning of REDD
and its variations – an essential step if confusion over
terminology is to be avoided.
The second meeting helped to design the REDD
group's objectives for Ucayali region. It was
agreed that there should be a strong emphasis on
collaborative research, with a focus on assessing
threats to the forests, the opportunity costs of
conserving forests and the measurement of carbon
stocks. The Centre's scientists also played a
prominent role in a national workshop on REDD.
Research was high on the agenda this year, with
Centre scientists conducting a range of activities
related to REDD and REALU. These included
research on methodologies for using remote
sensing to create atmospherically corrected cloudfree
satellite images and the updating of data on
land cover and vegetation maps. Researchers also
began to measure the carbon stocks of peatlands– aguajales – under a collaborative agreement with the
Peruvian Amazon Research Institute.
Linking Peru's
cocoa producers to
organic markets
Peru's cocoa exports have increased dramatically over the past few decades, and the country is now the second largest
producer of organic cocoa in the world. Some of
the finest 'aroma' cocoa is grown by the 120 members
of the Association of Cocoa Producers from Padre Abad
(ACATPA), based in the Ucayali region.
Since the association was formed in 2000, it has benefited
from a range of projects that have enabled members
to significantly improve the management of their cocoa
gardens and increase their yields. The World Agroforestry
Centre has been an influential supporter, and members
of the association now plant their cocoa as part of an
agroforestry system.
In February 2011, the World Agroforestry Centre and
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ), the German development agency, provided support
for members of ACATPA to visit BioFach, the world's largest
organic products fair, held in Nuremberg, Germany. Led
by Daniela Hirsch, the association's organic certification
adviser, the cocoa farmers met importers, manufacturers
and others involved in the organic cocoa trade. This helped
them to gain a thorough understanding of the market and
its requirements. After the fair, the delegation was invited
to visit the Austrian headquarters of Zotter, a company
renowned for its 'fair trade' organic chocolate.
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