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Contents

The ArBolivia Climate Action Plan is an initiative of The Cochabamba Project Limited , an industrial & provident society for the benefit of the community, registered in the UK since March 2009. It has over 200 members and has contributed over £1 million in investment to the ArBolivia project, sharing the rights to both carbon credits and future timber reve-nue from specified hectares.

Why choose our Climate Action Plan? 3

How does the plan work? 3

What do I get? 3

Why should I take out a plan? 4

Environmental returns 4

Social returns 4

Verification & transparency 4

Isn‟t it better to support tree planting in the UK? 5

The ArBolivia Project 6

What makes this project special? 7

Contact details 8

ArBolivia Climate Action Plan

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Why choose our Climate Action Plan?

Climate change and global poverty are perhaps the two most important challenges that we face, and there is increasing recognition that we have a responsibility to be part of the solution. The ArBolivia Project pro-vides a compelling opportunity to demonstrate this responsibility and make a real difference. Through the purchase of ecosystem services, you can support a whole new model of enterprise that com-bats poverty, empowers communities and tackles the root cause of deforestation, which is accepted as a major cause of climate change. Apart from actually reducing the amount of carbon emissions we produce, one of the most valuable methods of combating climate change is to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen

and carbon in the form of trees. There are a number of “plant a tree” schemes operating in the UK and elsewhere. However we can demonstrate that the purchase of ecosystem services from the Arbolivia Project offers sig-nificantly greater value for money, not only in terms of carbon sequestered, but also with regard to biodi-versity gains and economic value to the farmers. Every 2,000 trees grown results in the following benefits:

We invite you to be part of this solution by paying for the growing of native hardwood trees.

How does the plan work?

You decide how much you would like to pay for ecosystem services. This might be a set figure from a CSR or philanthropy budget, or you may wish to purchase ecosystem ser-vices in place of carbon offsetting. We can help companies to calculate their carbon footprint. For individu-als, we recommend basing calculations on the average per capita carbon footprint for a UK individual which is around 12.2 tonnes per annum. You purchase ecosystem services You specify how much you would like to pay and we allocate specified trees to your account. You complete a form and make payment.

You receive certification You receive a certificate verifying your purchase and specifying the ecosystem services that you have pur-

chased as below.

565 tonnes carbon sequestered (equivalent to the average UK person‟s carbon footprint over 23 years)

More than 1 acre of wildlife corridor created

1 peasant farmer and family receive an additional source of income that can treble their income over the lifetime of the trees

500 carbon credits retired

What do I get?

You will receive the following:

GPS co-ordinates of the trees for which ecosystem services have

been purchased allowing you to view the location on Google Earth

Certification of the amount of carbon sequestered by the trees

Details of the families on whose land the trees are planted

Information on the species of trees planted

An opportunity to visit the farmers

Updates on the project

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Environmental returns

High rates of carbon capture through reforesta-tion in the Tropics

Avoidance of further deforestation

Enhanced biodiversity

Nature conservation

Protection of stocks of native seed

More sustainable agricultural practices

Intercropping to produce food as well as timber

Carbon capture through intercropping

Low impact on soil, water systems and micro-climate

Enhanced soil water retention leading to re-duced flooding

Erosion control

Why should I take out a plan?

Your financial contribution is a clear and very tangible demonstration of your environmental and social commitment. Once you have taken all the steps you can to reduce your carbon footprint (planting trees is in no way a substitute for actually reducing your carbon footprint), this is one of the very best ways of mov-ing toward carbon neutrality. Not only can you use your money to absorb as much carbon as you use, but there are significant biodiversity and social benefits.

Social returns

Prospective trebling of incomes on forested land of participating smallholders

Increased incomes from non-forested land through increased yields

Increased incomes from fair trade accredita-tion and collective bargaining

Employment of up to 200 people in the nurs-

eries (during high season)

Establishment of microenterprises including seed farms, nurseries and maintenance con-

tractors

Capacity building through forestry commit-tees, marketing support and technical assis-

tance

Education and practical training in farm and forestry management

Contribution to gender / ethnic equality

Verification & transparency Many of these benefits have been independently verified and through www.arbolivia.org, it is possible to connect with individual farmers by viewing the details of both farmers and tree species associated with individual plots. ArBolivia was one of the first reforestation projects to receive accreditation from the United Nations Framework for Consensus on Climate Change. In our view, this demonstrates clearly that ArBolivia meets with the highest standards of due diligence and on-going public scrutiny. The full valida-tion report can be found on the UNFCCC website at: http://cdm.unfccc.int/UserManagement/FileStorage/H56C84P7GYEWT9U3XDNB1ZVFSORLQA

In addition the project has now also been accredited under the Plan Vivo standard. This is further evi-dence of the project‟s positive impact on biodiversity and social development within local communities. For further details visit www.planvivo.org

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Isn’t it better to support tree planting in the UK?

Although planting broadleaf trees in the UK is to be welcomed, planting trees in the Arbolivia Project com-pares very favourably on cost, carbon sequestration, social benefits and biodiversity gains. For example, the cost of planting a native oak tree in the UK through the Woodland Trust is £15.00. An English oak tree will in its lifetime photosynthesise and store one tonne of CO2 and a mature oak can live to an average of one hundred years. By comparison a typical tropical species can store 1 tonne of carbon in just 20 years. Even when we allow for thinning of forestry parcels over a 20 year cycle the average is still 282kg per tree - and at a cost of just £5.00 per tree. In the ArBolivia project, native rainforest trees are predominantly grown for commercial timber, which means that they will at some stage be cut down again. This does mean that

they will stop absorbing CO2 but it does not mean that the wood products they produce will stop storing carbon for decades to come.

This means that, pound for pound, planting a tree in Bolivia is around 4 times more effective

at offsetting carbon emissions than planting a tree in the UK. Furthermore, in 2009 there were 2 endangered bird species and 14 endangered plant species in the UK, compared with 31 and 72 respectively in Bolivia. This means that enhancing biodiversity is at least as im-portant in Bolivia as it is in the UK, if not more so.

Not only this, but the difference that the project makes to smallholder incomes in Bolivia is truly significant, and through this project farmers have far less incentive to engage in further deforestation, so that the over-all carbon benefit is higher still.

ArBolivia Climate Action Plan

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The Arbolivia Project The Amazon Rainforest is almost unques-tionably one of the most valuable and im-portant single habitats on our planet mak-ing a vital contribution in maintaining the balance of oxygen in our atmosphere and providing unrivalled biodiversity

1. Over

the last few decades, however, the western fringes of the Amazon have been the scene

of some of the most aggressive deforesta-tion in the world

2. Driven by desperation,

migrants have moved down from the An-des and have now been granted official title to land within the perimeter of the rainforest, enabling them to exploit the valuable timber and establish smallholdings to eke out a living from the land

3.

After decades of adopting poor agricultural practices and without the capital to invest in a viable alterna-tive, smallholders are still forced to continue their "slash and burn" methods in order to maintain their mea-

gre existence. To compound the problem one of their main traditional crops is coca, which whilst being a legal substance for domestic consumption, poses a significant risk of enticing desperate smallholders into the illegal drugs trade. Without an alternative, these problems will persist. The ArBolivia Project was established to tackle these multiple problems, following a pilot project in 1995 of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the European Union and the Belgian government together with the regional government in Bolivia. After 6 years of monitoring and research ArBolivia successfully registered the project as a Carbon Development Mechanism, selling the credits for the years 2008 – 2012 to the Belgian government . Following the failure of Copenhagen the Bolivian govern-ment no longer supports the CDM convention and as a result ArBolivia is now focussing on selling ecosys-

tem services, in line with national policy. 1500 hectares of trees have now been planted, with a target of 5,000 hectares. These comprise small, isolated parcels owned by roughly 2000 smallholders who belong to farmer co‑operatives. A further 1,200 hectares will be planted purely for conservation.

Technical assistance is provided to the farmers so that they can derive a better income from their land as a whole and can also manage this in a more ecologically sustainable manner. Intercropping is encouraged so that farmers can cultivate both food crops and timber on the same plot of land, whilst predominantly native species of trees are used in a patchwork of different tree types. Instead of planting one non-

indigenous tree type in a concentrated area, over 18 different species have been planted on widely dis-persed small plots of land. This results in huge biodiversity gains, and together with the focus on putting farmers‟ interests at the heart of the project, make Arbolivia a very special forestry project that stands out from other „sustainable‟ forestry schemes (see below for further details). Most importantly, this new model of community-based forestry shares the net proceeds of the timber equally between investors in the project and farmers, thereby giving farmers sufficient economic incentive to both reforest part of their land and to remove the need to clear further areas of prime tropical rainforest. A series of research documents and evaluation tools relating to the project is available at:

http://www.arbolivia.org/index.php?mc=62

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What makes the project ‘special? The commercial forestry enterprise undertaken by the ArBolivia project is very different from more conven-tional forestry plantations, even those that are termed „sustainable‟: The forested land is not owned by the project manager. Each for-estry parcel is owned by an individual smallholder. As at 1

st October

2010 the forested areas consist of 2789 separate “sectores” (an area defined by a specific species and planting date) spread across a wide area. This geographic distribution and isolation of individual parcels

means that any incidence of fire, disease or insect attack is confined and will have little or no impact on other forestry parcels, providing highly effective natural, risk management.

Enhanced biodiversity - Farmers can choose from 18 native tree species as well as teak, which is not indigenous but is a globally popular timber species that has adapted well locally. Having a range of indigenous tree species on widely dispersed plots contrasts starkly with the norm of monoculture plantations where “identikit” trees stretch monotonously in to the horizon. This diversity is not only good for the environment but it means that smallholders are able to select species to match the exact con-

ditions of their land, ensuring that survival rates and yields are optimised. The high levels of technical expertise and management demanded by this model serve to reduce significantly the risk of disease or poor growth Some of the species are faster growing but the most valuable timber is from trees which may take 35 – 40 years to mature. This is much longer than most commercial forestry enterprises will entertain so the ability to generate revenues from environmental services whilst the trees are grow-ing is extremely valuable.

Equal share in timber revenues for poor farmers - Profits are shared between local farmers and investors. The average current annual earnings of participat-ing smallholders are only around $2,300 and the livelihood of local farmers is central to the vision and operation of the project. By participating in the project smallholders can expect to treble their earnings on their forested land over the 40 year project term. Smallholders are also benefitting from both financial and practical assistance to increase efficiency and the yields on their remaining land through agro-forestry (e.g. cocoa and citrus fruits) and through collective bar-gaining and fair trade accreditation

Improved Agricultural Management - Arbolivia works with smallholders to im-prove agricultural management practices, thereby reducing deforestation and improving smallholder incomes.

Education and Capacity Building - Many additional so-cial benefits are provided though a programme of edu-cation and capacity building, which makes use of exist-ing social structures such as community committees, farmers co-operatives and other NGOs working in the area. For example, training on fire risks and control is an important additional weapon against “slash and burn”

farming methods. The Society is also seeking to promote the integrated approach of the project together with its corporate partners on websites, publications and presentations for schools, local organisations and business clubs.

ArBolivia Climate Action Plan

Contact: David Vincent

Ethical Investments Ltd

100 Whirlowdale Road

Sheffield

S7 2NJ

Tel: 0044 114 2368 168

Email: dav@ethicalinvestments.co.uk