The forestry company Maderacre (FSC®C017050), which owns a concession area of more than 220 thousand hectares in the region, has chosen to supplement their existing sustainable forest management certification with FSC’s Ecosystem Services Procedure, enabling them to demonstrate the positive impact of their forest management practices on biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
Maderacre produce decking, decking tiles, flooring, finger jointed wood and other dimensioned products. Their main species is Shihuahuaco (Cumarú), but they have 160 species of wood identified in their forests. The company employs 250 people in Tahuamanu, Madre de Dios, and has held FSC certification since 2007.
What is the FSC Ecosystem Services procedure?
This procedure is FSC’s evolving approach to the monitoring, conserving, and improving ecosystem services in forests. Maderacre’s verification, approved in January 2020, demonstrates their commitment to conserving species diversity and carbon stocks in their property.
Biodiversity
Between 2014 and 2017 the company increased the area under full conservation status by 57%. Their protection of the entire forest management unit against illegal hunting and logging has resulted in less illegal deforestation. They have also minimised the area degraded by reduced impact harvesting operations, helping to maintain the regeneration capacity of the forest.
A study conducted in 2017 registered an impressive 135 species in the concession area, including 17 key species tracked for their importance to this ecosystem. Verification has confirmed that the number of species present in the property has been maintained.
Carbon
Maderacre had the positive impacts of their forest management on carbon sequestration verified, confirming that it has maintained a stock of at least 350 thousand tCO2 in their forest every year since 2017. This remarkable figure is equivalent to the annual emission of around 76,000 cars.
Who benefits?
Maderacre is situated within a larger range of important conservation areas. According to Alba Solis, director at FSC Peru, “several engaged communities and local populations around this area depend on this network’s fauna and flora for sustenance. They also depend on its resources such as water, soil quality and co-benefits like pollination.” The company also promotes community programs in the area tied to environmental education, health improvement, capacity-building, workforce insertion and ecotourism.
Maderacre Director, Nelson Kroll, firmly believes in the private sector as a catalyst for environmental change: “Sponsoring our hard work in this forest can bring symbiotic benefits to all participating stakeholders and produce tangible rewards for society and nature.”