Pomeroon Trading is a sustainable agriculture and carbon offset company with operations in the Coronie District of Suriname. In September 2023, the company both started a coconut seedling nursery and began tree planting on a 1,200 hectare farm site leased from the Government of the Republic of Suriname. Concurrently, the company continues to work on data gathering and analysis for mangrove protection and restoration activities in both Coronie and Commeweijne Districts, with the aim to generate carbon credits.
Brazil’s degraded land surface amounts to 140 million hectares, according to the latest information from the Department of Forestry of the Ministry of Environment, and deforestation is expected to continue increasing at a considerable rate. Intensive agriculture is a major contributor to this process: the total grain cultivation surface increased by 80% between 1996 and 2006. The result? Lower yields, biodiversity loss, degraded soil, unstable water supplies, and local populations that struggle to earn a decent living from this deteriorated land.
In the Colombian departments of Valle del Cauca, Tolima, and Antioquia, vast watersheds stretch across the land. Many of them feed into the municipal and village aqueducts of the region, providing millions of people with fresh water each day. Much of this land, however, has faced degradation due to human activity like extensive cattle ranching and deforestation. With fewer trees around to regulate the flow of water and filter out sediment, these departments face a great risk of water strain.
Colombia's Sierra Nevada National Park features the highest coastal mountain range in the world and numerous endemic and threatened species. Located in the buffer zone of this protected area, the RioSierra Project aims to encourage sustainable local coffee production through agroforestry. It is the second project funded by Initiative 20x20 partner Urapi Sustainable Land Use.
Under its Forest Compensation Plan, Colombian energy company ISAGEN signed a partnership agreement with Colombia’s public Natural Heritage Fund and Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia to restore 4,507 hectares of the Serranía de los Yariguíes National Park. The project focuses on the north sector of the park, where diverse ecosystems in a small area make the landscape an important site for biodiversity. However, selective logging, livestock, and agriculture have degraded the land in recent years and led to the loss of several forest species.
At the junction of Colombia’s Boyacá, Santander, and Cundinamarca departments sits the Robles-La Russia-Guantiva-Iguaque Corridor. The remnants of the region's previously vibrant oak forests are scattered through the land, covering at least 170,000 hectares. This corridor is critical for biodiversity: not only is it home to oak trees, but also endangered species unique to Colombia like the gorgeted wood quail, the rusty-faced parrot and the Black Inca hummingbird . But their home is under threat: Only 10% of this unique ecosystem is under some type of protection.
In Colombia’s Zapatoca municipality, the El Ramo and La Zapatoca microbasins are a critical source of water for local residents. The surrounding forests help to filter the water and ensure a steady supply, and the region's ecological corridors are home to countless native flora and fauna. But this area is under threat – farmers often clear the trees to make room for more farmland and pasture, degrading the land and putting their own water supply at risk.
The Región Autónomo de la Costa Caribe Norte (RACCN), or the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. The area has a unique history and culture due to its geographic isolation, and 76% of its land falls under indigenous territory. While once covered in dense forests, the RACCN has come to experience severe land degradation caused by cattle ranching, timber harvesting, and extreme weather.
Andes Amazon Fund (AAF)'s Guanay Municipal Conservation Area, located in the department of La Paz, Bolivia, conserves 110,837 ha of cloud forest and high elevation puna grasslands. The area extends from 1,500 to over 13,500 feet above sea level and protects 32% of the municipality of Guanay. The communities there depend on these intact cloud forests for drinking water and irrigation, and as a barrier against ecological disasters like floods.
Initiative 20x20 partner Andes Amazon Fund (AAF) has declared two Protected Areas in San Ignacio de Velasco and Concepción, Bolivia, strengthening a critical conservation corridor in eastern Bolivia. The Bajo Paraguá Municipal Protected Area in San Ignacio spans a massive 983,006 ha of Chiquitano and Amazonian forest. Subscribe to Private