The Gran Reserva Chachi
Rewarding Indigenous Communities for Forest Conservation on
Communal Land
Luis SuárezConservation International Ecuador
Designing “Pro-Poor” Rewards for Ecosystem ServicesMadison, 7-8 April 2008
The Gran Reserva Chachi
Context:
• Hotspot (Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena)
• High levels of poverty
• High deforestation rate
• Significant threats: Timber extraction and oil palm plantations
• > 60% of all timber produced in Ecuador comes from this region
• High opportunity costs for conservation
• Little local benefits from resource exploitation
The Gran Reserva ChachiRationale:
• Conservation priority areas have people in them
• Conservation means working with people
• Conservation must become economically attractive to be viable
• Communities must have the ability to conserve:
- Rights
- Resources
- Capacity
The Gran Reserva ChachiProcess:
• Participatory design:
- Prior informed consent (assemblies)
- Reserve area & location
- Rules definition (use & limitations)
- Economic incentive (opportunity costs & needs)
• Trial phase (2-4 years):
- Incentive mechanism operation
- Distribution of benefits
- Implementation & enforcement of rules
Characteristics:• Reserve area:
7,200 ha (Strict Protection Zone)
• Buffer (multiple use) area:11,500 ha
• Communities involved:3 Chachi Centers~ 300 families~ 30,000 ha (total area)
• Incentive: $5/ha/year + salaries for reserve guards
• Other costs:Monitoring & technical assistance
The Gran Reserva Chachi
The Gran Reserva Chachi
Current status:
• Communities are interested in the maintenance of the Reserve
• Compensation is improving living conditions (health, education & organization)
• The Conservation Agreement is providing a framework for engagement on related themes:
- Institutional strengthening
- Capacity building
- Social control and transparency
• Strong community support for agreement renewal
• Interest of neighboring communities to develop similar agreements (replication & enlargement)
The Gran Reserva Chachi
Main achievements:
Conservation
• 7.200 ha protected in the buffer zone of a key Ecological Reserve
• Globally endangered species protected:– Long-Wattled Umbrellabird– Great Curassow– Brown-Headed Spider Monkey
• 8 local reserve guards trained
• Patrol mechanisms established
The Gran Reserva ChachiMain achievements:
Local development
• Enterprises established in 2005 are still functioning (e.g. gas station, store)
• Households infrastructure has improved (e.g. piped water, zinc roofs)
• Community members have access to medicines & to financial support for emergencies
• Children have access to school materials
• Techniques to improve cacao production have been implemented
The Gran Reserva Chachi
Main achievements:
Transparency
• The leadership of the Centers has been legalized
• Social control has improved (e.g. reporting the incentive management in assemblies)
Distribution of benefits
• Marginalized groups are direct beneficiaries of the incentives (e.g. women enterprises)
The Gran Reserva Chachi
Main achievements:
Sustainability
• Seed capital raised for a Trust Fund (~$150k of $2 million
needed; commitment for $150k more)• Interest from different donors & sources (GCF,
CSP, GTZ, USAID, Coldplay, Forest Trends)
The Gran Reserva Chachi
Challenges:
Conservation
• Reduce the pressure of timber companies & middlemen
• Prevent the invasion of the Reserve by other communities
• Strength Reserve ownership by the Chachi communities
• Improve patrolling and enforcement of rules (e.g. denouncing illegal logging or hunting in the Reserve)
• Implement an environmental education and communication program
The Gran Reserva Chachi
Lessons learned:
• Changes in the way the Chachi manage their natural resources take time
• A strong technical support and follow-up in the field is a key factor
• Sanctions must be applied if the agreement is broken
• Pressure groups interested in timber are constantly working to break the agreements by dividing local communities (individual vs. collective benefits)
• External factors may negatively affect conservation agreements
The Gran Reserva ChachiConclusions:
• Conservation Agreement is an economic tool that provides direct and stable benefits (income) to resource owners
• It allows conservation to be economically viable and competitive in relation to unsustainable uses (e.g. forest exploitation and conversion)
• It provides a framework for making conservation feasible for local communities (e.g. rights, resources, and capacity)
• It creates a direct link between conservation and poverty reduction
• It seems to be an efficient, fair and effective mechanism for community conservation
Thank you !