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Sustainable Livelihoods in the Western Amazon
The Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) consortium promotes biodiversity and natural resource conservation through the production and marketing of timber, non-timber forest products, coffee, cacao, and tourism services by promoting best management practices and sustainable product certification in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
In Ecuador, the consortium supports sustainable cacao cultivation in areas adjacent to protected areas through best conservation practices, product certification and product marketing. The consortium works with small farmers promoting coffee certification in Colombia and Peru, and timber certification in Peru and Bolivia by promoting sustainable practices.
In addition, through agreements with governments and universities in Ecuador and Peru, consortium members build capacity of local businesses to implement sustainable tourism practices and achieve tourism certification such as Smart Voyager in Ecuador.
Finally, in Bolivia, the consortium focuses on working with indigenous organizations, social groups, dealers, and private owners, especially in the department of Pando, in developing technical skills and organization in Brazil nut harvests, as well as in timber production.
As a result, thousands of settlers in the Amazon region of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru - in many cases historically isolated - are trained in improving environmental and social practices (agricultural, forestry, and tourism), producing products with an increased added value, and gaining direct access to niche markets (and customers such as Kraft and McDonalds). This not only promotes environmental conservation, but also improves local economies and standards of living.
Objective
Conserving biodiversity and natural resources in the Andean Amazon through the production and marketing of agricultural, forestry and tourism services under sustainable certification standards and best management practices.
Who is involved?
The consortium is led by the Rainforest Alliance (Rainforest Alliance), and comprised of the Fundación Natura (FN) in Colombia and Conservation and Development (CyD) in Ecuador.
Who do they work with?
The consortium focuses its efforts on organizations of farmers, foresters, business owners, and tourist communities in areas rich in biodiversity.
Where do they work?
SL works in a mosaic of private lands, extractive reserves, protected area buffer zones, and indigenous territories in the Amazon region of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
ICAA Goals
- Increase the sales of certified and sustainably managed products.
- Increase the use of best practices in agriculture, forestry, and tourism.
- Increase the area of sustainably managed forests and agricultural lands.
- Improve local capacities in business administration and access to markets in order to reduce poverty.
