Echarati (Peru)

Located in the subtropical forest of the region of Cusco, Peru, the project led by the association Pachamama Raymi aims to restore 300ha in 9 villages of the district of Echarati. This project will benefit 300 families by improving their economic and environmental conditions.

The project at a glance

• Number of trees to be planted: 300 000 
• Species planted :  timber (caoba, cedar, nogal, ..) and fruit trees (cocoa, coffee, macadamia, ciruella, ...)
• Planting period : October to December

Context : 

In the province of Convención, deforestation due to intensive logging and agricultural exploitation is still raging. In addition, water shortages, fires as well as the advanced state of soil degradation contribute to the destruction of the region’s vegetation cover, an area also particularly affected by poverty.

This project, financed by Reforest'Action and implemented in the field by association Pachamama Raymi, aims to recreate a sustainable social, environmental and economic landscape that is conducive to the preservation of biodiversity and the fight against climate change. Trees are planted in degraded forest plots in order to create resilient stands, that are compatible with the implementation of sustainable wood exploitation. This reforestation will help reintroduce valuable or endangered native species such as cedar, mahogany, walnut and tornillo. 

As a result of a community work that mobilises local populations, this approach will also help develop new sources of income for families, thanks to the marketing of fruits derived from the trees that are introduced on agricultural plots. Some actions focused on the need to preserve forests, on the creation of wealth based on products from nature and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices are also carried out as part of this environmental and social project.

The project :

300,000 trees of 17 species are being planted in nine villages over one year by technicians from local communities trained by Pachamama Raymi. To carry out these activities, forestry committees are being formed to strengthen the local community organisation. 

The social aspect is one of the cornerstones of the project. For example, workshops are organised to exchange experiences between families benefiting from this project or from previous restoration and agroforestry projects. On an educational level, the training of young people in the restoration of the subtropical forest and the preservation of biodiversity is supervised and accompanied.