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ALTHELIA ECOSPHERE WINS PRESTIGIOUS
SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY DEAL OF THE YEAR!
Althelia Ecosphere and Credit Suisse are proud to accept the Environmental Finance
Award for Sustainable Forestry Deal of the Year, recognising the "Nature Conservation
Notes", launched jointly by Althelia and Credit Suisse last year, and highlighting the
innovative conservation finance facility structured to support the Tambopata National
Reserve - Bahuaja Sonene National Park in Madre de Dios, Peru.
The award is in recognition of Althelia’s innovative
approach to conserving threatened landscapes in some of
the most biologically diverse areas in the world, utilising
both public and private finance to develop strong
conservation programmes that are designed to achieve
nature conservation as well as to promote local economic
and social development at the same time.
The award makes special note of Althelia’s participation in
a US$12 million investment programme aimed at
conserving 570,000 ha of natural forest that make up the
National Reserve of Tambopata and the National Park
Bahuaja-Sonene, areas regarded as ‘biodiversity hotspots',
and restoring 4000ha of degraded lands into productive
farmlands producing up to 3,200 tonnes of fine and
aromatic cocoa. Local farmers will also benefit from the
creation of a co-operative to be managed by Ecotierra,
which will provide access to infrastructure for sustainable
farming, and enable their (certified organic and Fair Trade)
cocoa produced to be sold in larger volumes, achieving
better prices.
The programme, which utilises the REDD+ mechanism as
part of its financing, is being developed and implemented
by a leading Peruvian NGO, AIDER, and is also backed
by the Peru-U.S debt swap fund “Fondo de las Americas”
(FONDAM) who are committing US$2 million of cofinancing as well as offering expertise in cocoa-based
agroforestry projects.
The REDD+ project will ensure the avoidance of 4.5million tonnes of CO2eq up to 2020,
which will be monetised to ensure the continued conservation of the National Reserve
and Park.
The award also notes Althelia’s achievement in structuring the first of its kind carbon
portfolio guarantee with the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) and its role in enhancing risk management in the emerging area of sustainable
land use investment.
Althelia is supported by leading public and
private investors, including the European
Investment
Bank EIB,
the
Dutch
Development Bank FMO and the Church of
Sweden who, by way of their investment,
are actively validating our approach to
conservation.
Our thanks also to our friends, colleagues and clients who nominated Althelia, and in
particular our friends at Credit Suisse who share this award with us.
If you would like to talk to us about this project or any other REDD+ landscape
conservation activity, email us at [email protected]
Follow these links for further information on our Nature Conservation Notes and our
investment in the Tambopata National Reserve - Bahuaja Sonene National Park REDD+
project