Quarterly Update: April-June 2021

Protecting the "Jewel" of Central America 

The Belize Maya Forest, the second largest remaining tropical forest in the Americas, is at the center of a massive win for global biodiversity and climate action. TNC and a host of partner organizations came together to purchase 236,000 acres of land representing an irreplaceable linchpin in the conservation of nature. This huge milestone was announced by Julie Robinson, our Belize director, at the TNC Earth Day “Change Starts Here” event. Since 2011, the Maya Forest Corridor in central Belize has faced deforestation rates almost four times the national average, driven primarily by large scale industrial agriculture. The Maya Forest is a significant carbon sink, with up to an estimated 11 to 13 million tons of carbon emissions sequestered by its natural systems. Securing protection for this critical ecosystem in the fight against climate change also means preserving habitat for some of the world’s most iconic wildlife species like jaguars, ocelots, tapirs and howler monkeys. READ MORE

Restoring Imperiled Forests 

Mercado Libre, Latin America’s largest e-commerce company, launched “Regenera America”, a game-changing reforestation initiative to help protect the region’s most iconic places. Through a strategic partnership with TNC, the program will invest US$6 million in conservation efforts in the Mantiqueira Mountains, one of the most ecologically diverse and vulnerable areas of Brazil’s imperiled Atlantic Forest. The program will focus on planting trees to connect forest patches and regenerate biological corridors, which will further protect critical habitat for wildlife and safeguard water sources for major cities including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. As the program advances, Mercado Libre intends to expand it to other iconic landscapes in Latin America, such as the Amazon, the Maya Forest and beyond. READ MORE.

Amplifying Indigenous Voices 

A new initiative supported by TNC in Brazil is helping to amplify Indigenous voices for conservation of their territories with new tools, like virtual meetings, and the development of capacities, including communications training. The initiative is supporting their efforts to protect their rights and boost their autonomy as they manage their territories. “Communication is important for the Indigenous movement so that we can show our communities’ struggles,” says Cristian Wariu, an Indigenous youtuber who produces social network content that portrays the diversity of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil and describes their experiences. The territories of Indigenous Peoples cover 24% of the globe’s land surface, yet they contain 80% of the world’s biodiversity. With deep ties to their land and their reliance on its resources, Indigenous Peoples are vital allies in conservation and climate action.  READ MORE.

Farmers Rise above the Pandemic

TNC and more than 200 farmers working together to recover the health of degraded forests in the Brazilian Amazon turned to mobile-phone technology to overcome obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Brazilian Amazon, small-scale family farmers have driven approximately one-third of the total loss of rainforest by cutting down trees to create farm fields and cattle pastures for subsistence and income. But since 2012, TNC and the government of the state of Pará have been providing technical assistance and training to encourage farmers to grow native cacao trees—the source of chocolate—to reforest degraded lands and to provide a more sustainable source of income. Last year, however, as harvest time neared, COVID-19 hit Brazil, making it too dangerous to conduct in-person training that is vital to the success of their work. Using a mobile phone social-messaging app, TNC delivered how-to videos to some 250 farmers in time to help with the harvest. Our team is estimating that farmers’ cocoa yields will reach 800 tons this year – twice the volume of the previous year. We have also surpassed our expected milestones related to total hectares of degraded areas under restoration using cocoa-based agroforestry systems. LEARN MORE

Reconnecting the Colorado River to the Sea 

 
In May 2021, water began flowing into the arid Colorado River Delta as part of a collaborative, bi-national effort to restore life to the region. This is just one component of a multi-faceted policy agreement formally known as Minute 323 – a historic agreement reached in 2017 between the U.S. and Mexico to collaborate towards the sustainable management of the river amidst growing pressures on diminishing water resources. An important part of Minute 323 implementation and monitoring is being conducted by members of Raise the River – a coalition of conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that includes the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Pronatura Noroeste, The Redford Center, Restauremos el Colorado, and the Sonoran Institute. By raising awareness, funding and, ultimately, the water level of the river, Raise the River’s goal is to restore native habitat that historically connects the river with the Gulf of California, and to establish a framework for the long-term restoration of the Colorado River Delta. READ MORE

Partnerships to Advance Marine Protection in Chile 

As part of our efforts to protect one of the planet’s most productive marine systems—the Humboldt Current, which flows along the coasts of Chile and Peru—TNC signed a milestone agreement with fishing authorities to strengthen our existing work in Chile and ensure continued commitment for years to come. The agreement, signed with the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, SUBPESCA, establishes TNC as a key collaborator and trusted partner across a wide array of fisheries science and management topics. Collaboration opportunities facilitated by the agreement include designing, piloting and implementing fisheries electronic monitoring (EM) systems in the artisanal fisheries sector, strengthening Chile’s National Plan for the Adaptation of Fisheries and Aquaculture to Climate Change and improving the country’s National Marine Parks and Reserves system. Partnerships and scientific research are the cornerstones of our work to protect the Humboldt Current, and this agreement is our third and final with the three main fisheries agencies in Chile to solidify this effort. LEARN MORE  

More Good News 

• Strong Like the Sea: A Book on Women Fishers TNC supported the creation of Strong like the Sea, a book portraying the stories of eight women who make their living from artisanal fishing in southern Chile. There are approximately 93,000 small-scale fishers in Chile, of which almost 25% are women. Some of the women featured in the book are members of the small-scale fishers associations in the influence area of the Reserve, who have engaged closely with TNC staff over the years to advance conservation. TNC in Chile is underscoring its commitment to gender diversity by supporting women entrepreneurs who are strengthening local economies with sustainable fishing initiatives. TAKE A LOOK. (in Spanish)

• A collaboration with LATAM group will support TNC’s conservation initiatives in Latin America’s iconic places, such as  the Amazon, Chaco, Llanos, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, as part of the company’s strategy to offset 50% of its domestic emissions by 2030, with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. READ MORE.

• Double Your Impact: Your gift to our conservation efforts in Argentina may be eligible for a 1:1 match from the Argentina Board of Trustees Match Fund. Our inspiring Trustees have committed $170,000 to inspire others to support the conservation of Argentina’s iconic places: the Gran Chaco and Patagonia. For more information, please contact Victoria.Nesci@tnc.org