BRAZIL
Rio Cautário Conservation Project
Protecting and Restoring the Rio Cautário State Extractive Reserve, Brazil
The Rio Cautário Conservation Project is a forest carbon project that has been designed to protect and restore 146,400 ha of forest in the Rio Cautário State Extractive Reserve, Rondônia, Brazil.
The project has been developed and is run by Permian Global’s Brazil team, Permian Brasil, in partnership with the communities of the Rio Cautário State Extractive Reserve.
The project’s primary objectives:
Climate – Reduce carbon emissions through forest protection and restoration in the reserve, stop illegal deforestation and encroachment, control fire hazards, and restore areas currently covered by pasture.
Community – Work with the local community to create livelihood opportunities that are non-destructive and support environmental regeneration, improve the sustainability of agricultural and extractive practices, and improve community wellbeing, health and opportunities.
Biodiversity – Protect and regenerate natural ecosystems to ensure the area remains a thriving habitat for biodiversity, especially threatened and endangered species.
- Protected forest area: 146,400 ha
- Avoided emissions: 774,113 tCO₂e annually, 24 million tCO₂e over 30 years (initial lifespan of the project)
- Delivering benefits to 328 people in 92 families/households
- Project undergoing validation against VCS and CCB
- Project Additionality: Elimination of multiple high-probability illegal deforestation threats, including agricultural encroachment, land-grabbing, wildfires and illegal logging.
CLIMATE
The project is helping to mitigate the climate crisis by preventing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation over a 30-year period. The project will ensure compliance with environmental legislation, preserve and restore the forest area, prevent illegal deforestation and fires, and help maintain ecosystem services.
The project has developed and runs a sophisticated fire detection and prevention program, which utilises high-definition satellite monitoring and alert systems, on-the-ground patrols, and rapids response units. It has a similarly sophisticated system for detecting and eliminating threats of encroachment and invasions.
COMMUNITY
Developed in close collaboration with local people, the project is providing benefits for more than 300 residents across six communities. This includes payment for environmental services (PSA), direct and indirect project employment, technical training to support sustainable livelihoods, environmental education, investment and support for local sustainable enterprises.
BIODIVERSITY
The project is protecting the entire extension of the reserve, which forms part of the largest remaining forest block of Brazilian Amazon in this region. The project is running a range of conservation programs that include species monitoring and research, and the restoration of land previously occupied by pastures, which is based on assisted natural regeneration, agroforestry systems, acquisition of seeds and seedling production.
Brazil’s sustainable development priorities are closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The Rio Cautário Conservation Project supports the achievement of the SDGs as outlined in the table below. All project data is available to support monitoring efforts at the state and national levels.
Rio Cautário Conservation Project aims to improve health and well-being (SDG 3), alleviate poverty (SDG 1 and 2), improve education (SDG 4), provide access to clean water and improved sanitation (SDG 6), improved access to clean energy (SDG 7), job opportunities and increased infrastructure (SDG 8 and 9), climate action (SDG 13) and biodiversity protection (SDG 15)
