CORRIDORS FOR LIFE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS AND CONNECTING FORESTS IN BRAZIL
Corridors for Life, a project by IPÊ - Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, simultaneously addresses CLIMATE change, supports local COMMUNITIES and conserves BIODIVERSITY.
Carefully designed, the project aims at: a) restoring large areas in private lands to promote connectivity between forest fragments and protected areas in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest; b) promoting the occupation of the restored and connected areas by the local fauna; c) promoting the change in land use practices of small and largescale farmers in rural fragmented areas; d) improving small farmers’ livelihoods and; e) providing investors a return in the form of high-quality carbon offsets.
Nature-based solutions projects are an essential part of the required strategy to address climate change. They constitute sustainable and economically viable alternative, often more cost effective in the long term than technology investments or the construction and maintenance of infrastructures (IUCN, 2020). Nature-based solutions involve three types of actions, which may be combined at regional and local level: 1) preserving the integrity and good ecological status of ecosystems; 2) improving sustainable management of ecosystems used by human activities; 3) restoring degraded ecosystems or creating ecosystems.
Plant for the Forest donations are strategic in helping IPÊ to continue and consolidating conservation strategies that represent Nature Based Solutions (NBS) within a “productive landscapes” for large landowner’s and sustainable livelihood alternatives for small settlers in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Tree planting will lead to replication of good practices and policies, complying with the Brazilian National Forest Code and biodiversity conservation. This project fits with IPÊ’s integrated action model, developed through years of experience, that combines research, environmental education, habitat restoration, community involvement with sustainable development, landscape conservation and policymaking. It is in line with IPÊs mission, which is to “develop and disseminate innovative models for biodiversity conservation that promote socio-economic benefits through science, education and sustainable business”.
