Deforestation-free cocoa in the Yanesha Communal Reserve and its associated landscape

Snapshot Solution

by Luis Muñoz Chanca, Asociación para la Conservación y Manejo de la Reserva Comunal Yanesha - AMARCY

Eshpe Cocoa

DRIS

The co-management model in the Yanesha Communal Reserve (RCY) is recognized by the Peruvian State through an indefinite Administration Contract, with non-delegable roles and functions, between SERNANP and AMARCY for its administration. It establishes obligations for its conservation, management and sustainable use of the resources within it and in communal territories. AMARCY as part of the search for funding to support its management as indigenous administrator of the RCY, with the support of BOS+ and DRIS, has been promoting since 2015 the value chain of native, criollo and common cocoa with the 10 communities and 6 colonist annexes partners of the RCY. With a technical proposal that in the RCY opts for a sustainable use of Eshpe native cocoa for special markets, while in the communal territories it is committed to a sustainable management of native, criollo and common cocoa in secondary forests. The criollo cocoa of the Yanesha and the common cocoa (CCN-51) are in the process of obtaining organic certification with support from CI.

Last update: 20 Oct 2021

2387 Views

Photo and video gallery

Context

Challenges addressed

Land and Forest degradation

Loss of Biodiversity

Ecosystem loss

Lack of access to long-term funding

Lack of alternative income opportunities

Lack of technical capacity

Lack of public and decision maker’s awareness

Poor monitoring and enforcement

Scale of implementation

Local

Ecosystems

Agroforestry

Temperate evergreen forest

Theme

Access and benefit sharing

Genetic diversity

Adaptation

Mitigation

Connectivity / transboundary conservation

Ecosystem services

Sustainable financing

Gender mainstreaming

Protected and conserved areas governance

Indigenous people

Traditional knowledge

Protected and conserved areas management planning

Standards/ certification

Location

Oxapampa, Department of Pasco, Peru

South America

Impacts

2018 AMARCY signs an inter-institutional cooperation agreement with the PNCBMCC that strengthens the implementation of the tripartite conservation agreements (AMARCY-SERNANP/PNCBMCC/community) that have been implemented since 2015 with the RCY's partner communities in the framework of Conditional Direct Transfers (CCT).
AMARCY's cocoa technical proposal is articulated to the PNCBMCC intervention through the tripartite conservation agreements, which contribute to the country's climate change commitments (NDC) and the implementation of the indigenous REDD+ Amazon Indigenous Climate Ambition Strategy (RIA).
July 2019, AMARCY becomes the first indigenous organization to win the National Quality Cocoa Competition with Eshpe chocolate cocoa, made from the native cocoa of the same name. It also obtains second place, in the Pasco regional stage, with Koyanesha chocolate which is made with 4 native clones.

By 2021, more than 240 families are committed to AMARCY's technical proposal that seeks to enhance the value of the standing forest of the RCY and the communal forests, with 2,500 native cocoa seedlings and more than 22,000 fine and aromatic cocoa plants in production.

AMARCY complies with the implementation of its institutional life plan, in relation to the different economic, environmental or management commitments.