Rainforest Alliance

The Suruí Forest Carbon Project (SFCP) aims to halt deforestation and its associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in an area under intense deforestation pressure in the Sete de Setembro Indigenous Territory (TISS) located in Rondônia & Mato Grosso, Brazil. The region is located in one of the main centers of the Brazilian Amazon’s “deforestation arc," and is shaped by the expansion of consolidated farms requiring new forest areas for agricultural activities. Logging activities have advanced to the north since the last decade, and this trend indicates that the Suruí communities are seeking alternative sources of income such as extensive cattle ranching and coffee farming systems.

The SFCP is a pioneering initiative led by the Paiter Suruí, particularly the Chief Almir Suruí in the search for financial mechanisms to ensure the implementation of a strategy for forest conservation, improved quality of life of their populations and preservation of their traditional culture. The project will prevent 13,575.3 hectares of tropical forests from being cleared in the TISS for 30 years (crediting period), to avoid the emission of a long term average of 7,423,806.2 tCO2e in the atmosphere and to contribute to the preservation of the Paiter Suruí lifestyle and traditions.

The project is based on four themes: Forest Protection and Environment, Food Security and Sustainable Production, Institutional Strengthening; Development and implementation of a financial mechanism - Suruí Fund. This set of activities is designed to end deforestation in the TISS by attacking its two main roots: the lack of economic alternatives to ensure the well-being of the Paiter Suruí, and the appearance of external actors to conduct illegal activities.

SFCP has achieved conformance with the CCB Gold Level Benefits for Exceptional Biodiversity Criteria (GL3) and ensures the Project conserves biodiversity in areas of global significance for biodiversity conservation. The TISS has 3 threatened species, 7 near threatened species, 161 vulnerable species, 5 and 14 endemic bird species, two of which only occur in the Madeira-Tapajós interfluve. 30 rare species of fungi were identified, some recorded for the first time in Brazil, and other for the first time in Rondônia. The project will encourage and facilitate scientific studies for these species, focusing on the goal to better understand the abundance, population size, distribution and habitat of these species.