In some regions of the Amazon, forest product extractivists are facing problems and conflicts with landowners for unauthorized gathering of Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa). Not the case of Juruena, NW Mato Grosso, where in addition to 25 000 ha of managed native forest owned by the Rohden Lignea Company (a timber company certified by the Forest Stwardship Council), five other farms will open their private nature reserves for non-timber forest harvesting by members of the Cooperativa dos Produtores Assentados do Vale do Amanhecer (Cooperative of Producers of the Sun Valley Rural Settlement (COOPAVAM) in 2011. The agreements with the farms were informal, but with Rohden Lignea an agreement was signed with the Secretary of the Environment of Mato Grosso state. The mapping of the Brazil nut stands on Rodhen’s lands and its surrounds are still being worked on. Considering the size of the area, the company gave a deadline of two years for farmers to map everything and estimate the amount to be collected. In 2010 they made only one trial at the end of the harvest season, which produced 10 tons. If they will harvest only 2 kg / ha, it is estimated that an amount of 50 tons of nuts can be gathered.

 

In 2010, COOPAVAM processed and sold 87 tons, generating an income exceeding USD $ 300,000. In 2011, the project entered into partnership with Natura Cosmetics, a company that has signed a 3 year contract to purchase 150 tons of Brazil nut kernel, which will add over USD $ 481.500 in revenue for COOPAVAM. As part of the social and environmental commitment of Natura and the interests of enhancing the nut groves and habitats, providing for a more equitable base for trading, Natura will advance 30% of the contract value (USD $ 144.473) each year to the COOPAVAM account.

 

To fulfill the demand of this joint venture, various communities of farmers, mainly extractive and indigenous peoples of the Juruena river basin such as the Rikbatsa, Apiacás-and-Caiabi Mundurucu attended. COOPAVAM has obtained organic certification by Ecocert International (USA and EU), and this contract will double the current production of the Cooperative, bringing its product to international certified products markets.

Natura developed from Brazilian biodiversity assets a cosmetics line called Natura EKOS. More than 1300 families in 19 communities in the Amazon produce and market various products from the forest such as açai, white pitch (breu branca), cupuaçu, priprioca, murumuru, buriti, Brazil nuts, among others, which are used in manufacturing cosmetics, perfumes, moisturizers, soaps and shampoos sold in Brazil and several countries in South America, Europe and other parts of the planet.

 

These results are consequences of activities that have been developed by the GEF / UNDP / SEMA-MT (2001-2010) and being taken forward by the project Juruena Carbon Sink, run by the Association for Rural Development of Juruena (ADERJUR) and sponsored by the Petrobras Environmental Program. The Project is encouraging the recovery of forest areas (Legal Reserves) with the planting of 800,000 native tree seedlings produced in 2010, aimed primarily at 216 farming families involved in the project for the recovery of degraded areas and for training in agroforestry systems (AFS ). The species were chosen by the farmers, after meetings and visits of the project team, and meet economic and ecological functions in the short, medium and long term. The goal is to reach an area of ??430 hectares, which will increase because a large part of the land area of ??project beneficiaries has not been measured yet by the project team.

 

In addition to tree planting and agroforestry, the project trained 27 teachers in environmental education in the municipality, besides involving 1,176 children and juveniles in practical classes, workshops and science fairs that had supported the project. The central objective of the Juruena Carbon Sink project is to demonstrate the economic feasibility of carbon sequestration through agroforestry systems - AFS, fixing carbon and generating income for small and medium farmers through a participatory approach. It is expected to be a model project for rural development and environmental conservation having as a plus the future sale of carbon credits. The Environment Secretary of Mato Grosso State (SEMA-MT), along with twelve other institutions of the Federal Government, state and civil society support this initiative.