Bethy Antas is one of more than 800 members of BAM’s REDD+ Brazil Nut Concessions (BN) conservation project. Her concession, granted in 2004, protects more than 675 hectares of Brazil nut forests that provide the main economic livelihood for her family: the amazonian Brazil nut.
With a view to improving the livelihoods of its partners, the REDD+ BN project initiated a Brazil nut organic certification project in 2022. This was made possible through the assistance of the project team, the conservation efforts of the partners and the sale of carbon credits. One year later (2023), the project-driven Association of Organic Brazil Nut Collectors of Madre de Dios – ARCOMAD was consolidated to strengthen and improve the economic conditions of the Madre de Dios Brazil nut community.
“This project has allowed us to receive technical, commercial and legal assistance, and also to obtain organic certification of the Brazil nut.” – Bethy Antas, partner of REDD+ Brazil Nut Concessions project.
Bethy’s connection with the forest and commitment to the Brazil nut activity has led her to be the president of ARCOMAD since its consolidation to date.
Since then, Bethy and ARCOMAD have achieved organic certification of their product for two consecutive years and have historically made a group sale of almost 2,000 barrels (sacks), fulfilling the first commercial agreement between ARCOMAD and a Brazil nut exporting company. In this way, ARCOMAD members have obtained better profits from the sale of their products, thanks to a higher volume and price, thus breaking with the trend of marketing Brazil nuts through third-party intermediaries and on an individual basis, which limited their opportunities and profits.
“When you protect the forest you have a good quality product: the Brazil nut, which is the flagship product of Madre de Dios, and which would not have existed if we did not conserve our forest” – Bethy Antas, partner of REDD+ BN.
Thanks to the commitment of the partners and the results of ARCOMAD, Bethy and the partners have more resources for their families, for the protection of the forest and to continue developing and strengthening the sustainable activity of Brazil nut, seeing it as an economically viable alternative for their families.
More about REDD+ Brazil Nut Concessions project
BAM’s conservation project which protects more than 600,000 hectares of megadiverse and unique Amazonian forests with +800 concessionaire partner families in Madre de Dios, Peru.
With a view to improving the livelihoods of its partners, a Brazil nut organic certification project was initiated in 2022. This was made possible through the assistance of the project team, the conservation efforts of the partners and the sale of carbon credits.
REDD+ Castañeros laid the groundwork for the organic Brazil nut project, providing support and tools for the formation of ARCOMAD, with the aim of improving the livelihoods of the Brazil nut community in Madre De Dios, Peru.
Since the beginning of REDD+ Castañeros, Bethy and other project partners have actively participated in various activities, including training workshops, biodiversity expeditions as part of the BAM’s Science Program, forest fire prevention and control workshops, empowerment and leadership programs, as well as training to obtain organic certification for Brazil nuts.
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