Contextualization

The communities that inhabit the Extractive Reserves of the Marajó Archipelago, a region with one of the lowest human development indexes (HDI) in the country, have aptitude for logging and also for the production of açaí, a food highly valued by local culture. However, the members of these communities have little knowledge about the good practices of sustainable management of timber and açaí, besides being poorly organized for its commercialization, which hinders access to fairer and more formal markets.

In addition, logging activity in the country faces serious problems with illegal logging activities, which so far have been combated with inspection, but little has been done in relation to the commercial exploitation of timber in a sustainable way, especially with regard to community management.

The project

The Community Forests project aimed to develop sustainable management solutions for the communities that inhabit three Federal Conservation Units of the Extractive Reserves (Resex) category in the region of the Marajó Archipelago, in the state of Pará, namely Resex Arióca-Pruanã, Resex Mapuá and Resex Terra Grande-Pracuúba, covering an area of more than 370 thousand hectares, equivalent to about three times the area of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro.

The project consisted of the implementation of Community Forest Management Plans and was composed of three products/services, which were structured by activities to be carried out successively: (i) preparation for community forest management, (ii) implementation of community forest management and (iii) communication and dissemination of project results.

IFT has extensive experience in sustainable forest management, and was able to work with communities, focusing its actions on technical assistance activities and the preparation of cooperatives for the commercialization of forest products.

Intervention logic

The project is part of the "Sustainable Production" component (1) of the Logical Framework of the Amazon Fund.

Its direct effects were defined as follows: 1.1 Economic activities based on the sustainable use of forest and biodiversity identified and developed in the supported RESEX; 1.2 Forest and biodiversity product chains with increased added value in the supported RESEX; and 1.3 Expanded managerial and technical capacities for the implementation of forest management activities in the supported RESEX.

Extractive Reserves are among the least deforested territorial categories in the Amazon. The Community Forests project, by supporting the implementation of sustainable forest management in the Resex of the Marajó region, directly contributed to the general objective of the Amazon Fund, namely, “reduction of deforestation with sustainable development in the Legal Amazon”.

Click on the following image to view its objectives tree, that is, how the project's outputs and linked to the expected outcomes and impact.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED

The Community Forests project was organized into three components, namely: (i) Preparation for community forest management; (ii) Implementation of community forest management; and (iii) Communication and dissemination of project results. The following is a brief description of the activities developed by the project in these three components.

It should be noted that, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the actions foreseen in the project were impacted, but without prejudice to the purpose or results of the project.

Component 1 had as its main purpose the preparation of the community for the implementation of community and family forest management in the area covered by the project, through the creation and strengthening of cooperatives, the training of residents of the Resex and the preparation of the necessary documents for approval of forest management.

In 2017, the Community Forests Caravan was carried out in the three Resex in order to raise awareness of the project. We carried out (i) the presentation of the project to residents of Resex and interested parties; (ii) the awareness of traditional populations for community forest management and the importance of strengthening community organizations; and (iii) the presentation of the actors involved in the project strategy.

In this process of dialogue and validation of the project strategy, it was possible to gather important information about community organizations and the value chains of açaí and timber. The Caravan mobilized 1,035 beneficiaries and produced the document "Ground Zero Diagnosis of the Açaí and Timber Production Chains of the Marajó Resex", which subsidized the other actions of the project.

Through the project, two cooperatives were created, and a cooperative that was already created was strengthened. At Resex Arióca Pruanã, the Agroextractive Mixed Cooperative of Resex Arióca Pruanã was created, which also had its internal regulations prepared. At Resex Terra Grande Pracuúba, the Agroextractive Cooperative of Resex Terra Grande Pracuúba – Agronatu was created. At Resex Mapuá, whose cooperative was already established at the beginning of the project, its internal regulations were prepared and its strategic planning was developed.

The project worked on training in administrative and financial management of community organizations. They participated in the workshops of "Administrative and Financial Management", the boards of the Associations: i) Amoreap (Association of residents of Resex Arióca Pruanã); ii) Cooprunã (Cooperative of Resex Arióca Pruanã); iii) Coama (Cooperative of residents of the Aramã and Mapuá rivers); and iv) Amoretgrap (Association of Residents of Resex Terra Grande Pracuúba). During the workshops, 26 people were trained (21 men and 5 women), all members of the boards of these organizations.

In relation to forest management, several courses were held on açai palm management, good harvesting practices, marketing and others, in addition to courses focused on low-impact timber management, totaling 2,250 people trained in some activity related to timber and/or açai palm forest management. In addition, about 1,700 hectares of productive forests for community forest management were inventoried in the Resex Mapuá and Arióca Pruanã, which provided two forest harvests throughout the project.

Six business plans were prepared, three for the timber production chain and three for the açaí production chain. These documents are used by community organizations in improving production processes and planning the harvests of these products. Two Sustainable Forest Management Plans (PMFS) were prepared and approved for Resex Mapuá and Arióca Pruanã, these plans are valid for 10 and 25 years. With the valid PMFS, the Annual Operational Plans (POA) are made to enable the sustainable exploitation of native timber.

Component 2 aimed at the implementation of the prepared Forest Management Plans, through the acquisition of equipment and materials, installation of infrastructures for the transport of forest products and technical assistance to monitor the activities and guide the cooperative members.

The implementation of forest management was carried out in two Annual Production Units (UPA), one in Mapuá and another in Arióca Pruanã, totaling an area of 660 hectares of forests managed in the first harvest licensed in these units. The technical monitoring was carried out by IFT throughout the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, both for açaí and timber. Forest management in Resex Mapuá resulted in the commercialization of about 1,500 m³ of timber. At Resex Arióca Pruanã, whose timber production was estimated at about 5,200 m³, it was expected that the commercialization would be carried out at the end of 2022, after the last monitoring of the project by the BNDES.

The support for the preparation of contracts and commercialization of forest products made it possible to enter into two timber marketing contracts signed in 2020, one in Resex Mapuá by the Cooperative of producers of the Mapuá and Aramã Rivers (Coama), and another in Resex Arióca Pruanã by the Association of residents of Resex Arióca Pruanã (Amoreap). At the end of the whole commercialization process, the estimated revenue from the sale of the timber production in the two units is about R$2 million, being about R$500,000 for the Mapuá Resex and about R$1.5 million for the Arióca Pruanã Resex. For the açaí harvest, Coama signed a contract to sell the product, with the commercialization of a little more than 11,000 cans.

During the execution of the project, some adjustments were made, as in the case of the communities of Resex Terra Grande Pracuúba (TGP), which decided not to carry out forest management for the production of timber, so that the actions planned for this territory were redirected to other territories or replaced by other activities.

Component 3 provided for communication and dissemination of information. Throughout the execution of the project, there was an exchange on community forest management initiatives in the Amazon region, which included the participation of extractive communities from three Amazonian states (Acre, Amazonas and Pará), including the Marajó Resex. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no press visits to the Resex, however, several stories about the actions of the project were published in the local press.

Several publications were launched throughout the execution of the project, such as the booklet “Agroextractive Cooperatives: step-by-step guide to the creation of a community business”, technical newsletters on “100% Forest Inventory and Vine Clipping”, “Planning and Construction of Infrastructures, roads and storage yards”, “Special techniques for cutting trees and safety at work”, “Practical Guide for Preparing Simplified Forest Inventory”, and others.

A documentary on community forest management in the Resex covered by the project was released in October 2022. The documentary is on IFT's youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0RqkxHtIE4).

Indicators of efficacy and effectiveness

The Project activities contributed to the results related to the “sustainable production” component (1) of the Amazon Fund Logical Framework.

The following are the results of some agreed indicators for the monitoring of the expected direct effects.

Direct effect 1.1 - Economic activities based on the sustainable use of forest and biodiversity identified and developed in the supported RESEX

• Revenue generated from economic activities of sustainable use (in natura products) - native timber (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: R$1,900,000.00 | Result achieved: R$ 2,000,000.00

• Revenue generated from sustainable economic activities (in natura products) - açaí (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: R$1,500,000.00 | Result achieved: R$ 840,000.00

• Number of sustainable forest management plans prepared (timber) (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 3 | Result achieved: 2

• Number of business plans for commercialization of timber and açaí prepared (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 3 | Result achieved: 6

The indicators of sustainable production activities developed by the project demonstrate that the project fully met its main objective of implementing forest management activities in the territory.

Direct effect 1.2 - Forest and biodiversity product chains with increased added value in the supported Resex

• Number of community organizations strengthened/created (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 3 | Result achieved: 5

• Number of boats for the flow of family farming and extractive products acquired (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 3 | Result achieved: 3

• Total number of members in cooperatives created and strengthened (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 110 | Result achieved: 98

The strengthening of community associations is the basis for the sustainability of the project's activities, not only environmental but also social and economic.

Direct effect 1.3 - Expanded managerial and technical capacities for the implementation of forest management activities in the supported RESEX

• Total number of individuals trained in forest management techniques (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 620 people, 120 of whom are women   | Result achieved: 633 people, 118 of whom are women

• Total number of individuals trained in administrative management of cooperatives (effectiveness indicator)
  Target: 30 people, 15 of whom are women   | Result achieved: 26 people, 5 of whom are women

The technical, operational and managerial training of forest management is the specialty of IFT, a reference in the theme.

Institutional and administrative aspects

IFT managed to strengthen the socio-productive action of the association and cooperative of the Resex Arióca Pruanã, through a previous partnership with the agricultural implements company Stihl, with the donation of equipment such as chainsaws, motorboats, personal protection equipment (PPE) and others, for this Resex.

The complete execution of the project suffered some delays, mainly due to the covid-19 pandemic and other complications, which generated administrative and financial impacts. Relocations were necessary, and some changes in products and activities, without, however, causing losses to the project objectives. With the delay, the technical and administrative teams were modified throughout the execution, and towards the end of the project, part of the technical team had to be disconnected, overloading the remaining staff.    

Risks and lessons learned

The biggest obstacle faced by the project was the covid-19 pandemic, as with the restrictions that followed, several actions were impacted as 90% of the project was in field activities, and people meetings were banned at various times in the years 2020 and 2021. In this sense, the project schedule was impaired, as actions that should have occurred in 2020 were postponed. The forest inventory of the management areas in Resex Arióca Pruanã and Resex Mapuá delayed at least six months, which compromised the approval of exploration authorizations (Autex), and delayed management activities by one year.

IFT has taken some steps to reduce the negative impact for communities with this delay, instead of approving only one Annual Operating Plan (AOP) in each of the two Resex, the institute has built two AOPs for each of these units. Thus, two harvests will be guaranteed, even after the end of the project.

An important lesson, which should be highlighted and observed in socio-environmental projects in conservation units, is the time it takes to obtain environmental licenses, as two civil construction activities that were expected to be carried out during the project had to be remodeled. Ideally, when these activities are planned, they should be carried out in the first years of such projects.  

Sustainability of results

The expectations of the communities served by the project are positive, in the three territories. Leadership training activities allowed people to take better ownership of the productive activities of their territories. In the communities of Resex Terra Grande Pracuúba, from the creation of the cooperative and the donation of a boat, the creation of an açaí fund began, with resources separated by the community for the maintenance of the organization and the vessel, and which in the future is expected to contribute to the construction of the headquarters of the cooperative.

In relation to the association of residents of Resex Arióca Pruanã, which is the owner of the management plan, marketing goals for açaí were established. A mapping of the açai palm of Resex is being made that will enable the closing of a contract with companies benefiting from the fruit. The work developed by the project is a basis for new actions.

In addition, IFT is seeking new financing with other financiers, to continue its actions in the Marajó region. Two proposals for socio-environmental projects were submitted to the company STIHL and the Clua Foundation, and a third proposal is being prepared for the Vale Fund, all aimed at the continuity of actions in these territories.