Kowen Antami
REDD+ Project
Forest protection led by Indigenous Communities
The Project
Two Indigenous organizations and a local NGO have been granted a 20-year administrative contract to manage two protected areas covering over 260,000 hectares in the Pasco region of Peru and part of the Oxapampa–Asháninka–Yánesha Biosphere Reserve (BIOAY) determined by UNESCO.
These protected areas – Yanashaga Chemillen National Park and the San Matias-San Carlos Protected Forest – are home to highly biodiverse cloud forests, rich in important flora and fauna, including several endemic and recently discovered species. However, the area has experienced significant deforestation over the past 20 years due to increasing pressure for agricultural land and firewood.
Peru
Standard
VERRA VCS
Protocol
VM0048
Credits
VCUs
Start Year
2022
Volumes expected
1Q 2026
REDD+ Activities
The project will implement measures to mitigate deforestation and forest degradation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Activities will be designed to enable the participating indigenous communities to adapt to climate change and improve their livelihoods by implementing sustainable income generating activities.
The participation of indigenous organizations ANAP and AMARCY as partners ensures robust and transparent governance of the program, and equitable benefit sharing mechanism and a fully participatory consultation process.
Project benefits
FOREST
REDD+ project activities include engaging local communities to participate in enhanced protection and management of the two Parks.
The activities will reduce deforestation and forest degradation in these critically important forest areas.
Safeguards
The project will apply VERRA CCBA. In addition, the project is directly led by two indigenous organizations that will directly oversee the consultations, project activities and benefit sharing.
Extensive participatory processes are already underway. with, and respecting, the rights of all relevant stakeholders, including IPLCs, as well as protecting natural ecosystems and ensuring transparent governance. It also includes a benefits sharing mechanism.
Stakeholder consultations are a key part of this process.
Relevant stakeholders can access benefits and will be incentivized to reduce deforestation
Biodiversity
Project activities will help protect and enhance this biodiversity of the important and threatened forest ecosystems in Peru.
This area hosts important species like the spectacled bear, as well as an enormous diversity of orchids.
Installation of a bioacoustic monitor to help identify and track animal species.
Biodiversity is a key benefit from the project activities
The Oxapampa–Asháninka–Yánesha Biosphere Reserve
BIOAY is not only a haven for wildlife but also a living testament to the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. It derives its name from the three Indigenous groups who inhabit the region: the Asháninka, Yánesha, and the settlers of Oxapampa. These communities have lived sustainably within the reserve for generations, preserving their ancestral knowledge, traditions, and practices that contribute to the sustainable management of the land. Their cultural heritage is deeply intertwined with the natural environment, offering valuable insights into how humanity can coexist with nature.
BIOAY plays a crucial role in addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet. Its vast forests act as a significant carbon sink, helping to mitigate climate change by absorbing greenhouse gases. The region also protects vital watersheds that supply clean water to surrounding communities and ecosystems, ensuring the health and resilience of the landscape.
For humanity, the reserve serves as a living laboratory for sustainable development. By integrating conservation with the needs of local communities, it demonstrates how economic activities such as eco-tourism, sustainable agriculture, and forest management can thrive without compromising the environment. Moreover, the Indigenous knowledge preserved within the reserve offers invaluable lessons in resilience, adaptation, and sustainability that are increasingly relevant in our rapidly changing world.
UNESCO’s recognition of the Oxapampa–Asháninka–Yánesha Biosphere Reserve underscores its global importance as a model for balancing conservation and human development.
About Silvania
Since being established in 2023, Silvania has been building a diversified portfolio across critical eco-systems at scale. Investments have already been made across the key biomes and areas of vulnerable biodiversity, with significant deployment of capital to conserve an area of 29 million hectares to date and a strong pipeline of new projects is in development.
Our goal is to invest in the power of nature to mitigate climate change while delivering significant biodiversity and social benefits and in support of the delivery of the Paris Agreement goals and the UN 30×30 Initiative.
