Tambopata REDD+ Forest Protection

The Tambopata REDD+ project implements avoided unplanned deforestation across 574,629 hectares in Peru's Madre de Dios region. The project area faces high deforestation pressure from the Inter-Oceanic Highway completed in 2010, which opened previously remote forest to agricultural expansion and illegal gold mining. Using VM0015 methodology, the project establishes a baseline deforestation rate of 0.85% annually based on historical data and prevents estimated 12,500 hectares/year of forest clearing. Implementation activities include: advanced satellite monitoring with Planet Labs daily imagery, ground-truth verification teams, 50-person community ranger program, alternative livelihood development (Brazil nut harvesting cooperatives, ecotourism), and legal enforcement coordination with Peru's forest service (SERFOR). The project maintains carbon stocks of 150 tC/ha across mixed terra firme and floodplain forest.