Our Cordillera Azul National Park project is in Peru’s high forest between the Andes and the Amazon Basin. Its stunning mountains, sparkling blue lagoons, rich biodiversity, and multicultural population have rightly earned this area the name the ‘jewel of the Peruvian Amazon’.
This project is working in a huge landscape of 3.7 million hectares (nearly the size of the Netherlands) to protect 1.6 million hectares of threatened forest. The Cordillera Azul project focuses on establishing sustainable livelihoods through technical assistance and support for transitioning land use to agroforestry systems for sustainable cocoa and coffee production. In addition, a wide community-driven programme is helping tens of thousands of local people gain access to basic services such as sanitation, health care and education.
Conservation and protection activities inside the forest include biological monitoring and scientific research, as well as surveillance and control of illegal human behaviours.
This project is implemented on the ground by the Peruvian NGO, CIMA.
Measurable impacts
We track seven impact areas across all of our projects, and each project also produces sustainable commodities. Below are the targets for 2021 for Cordillera Azul.
CLIMATE
25.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided
ECOSYSTEMS
1.6 million hectares of threatened forest protected
SPECIES
28 High Conservation Value species, including Spectacled Bear, Jaguar and Harpy Eagle
LIVELIHOOD
665 jobs created or supported
INCLUSIVITY
40% of jobs held by women
SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE
26 sustainable businesses supported, such as a women’s textile group using dyes from the forest to make bags & shirts using traditional techniques & patterns
FAIR ECONOMIC RETURN
€844,035 contributed to local economy
SUSTAINABLE COMMODITIES
Fairtrade & Organic fine, aromatic cocoa and coffee; honey
Sustainable Development Goals
Cordillera Azul helps to achieve a number of the UN Sustainable Development Goals:
