By Marioldy Sánchez Santivañez (AIDER) and Candice Arendse (EMG)
Drynet is proud to congratulate AIDER on winning the 2016 Antonio Brack Egg National Environmental Award! The award is seen as an important symbol that honors those who has and continues to impact positively into the natural environment. AIDER was awarded the award in the category “Biodiversity Management” due to its Community Forest Management under the Forest Stewardship Council Standard (FSC) work in Ucayali.
This annual event was started in 2014 by the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, who recognize individuals, groups and organizations for outstanding environmental work and performance throughout the year. The 2016 edition of the National Environmental Award granted 25 awards in 8 categories: Environmental Culture and Citizenship, Environmental Education, Eco-efficiency, Environmental Research, Biodiversity Management, Action against Variability and Climate Change, Journalism and Publications and the special category 2016 “Defender of the Sea of Grau”.
The work of AIDER involves supporting indigenous communities to design and implement forest management plans in their lands according to the National regulations and applying FSC’s principles and criteria – which is the highest standard for forest management globally – in order to ensure and demonstrate that the timber and other forest goods come from responsibly managed forests.
This award recognizes the efforts of indigenous Shipibo-Conibo communities engaged in FSC forest management and AIDER’s work as a FSC Regent (or manager) of these certified communities. FSC community forest management has proven its effectiveness in reducing emissions caused by deforestation and also in increasing local incomes and conserving biodiversity. The five communities engaged in this initiative are located in the basin of the Ucayali river, in the Peruvian Amazon. They manage more than 20 thousand hectares of rainforests inside the lands they own according Peruvian regulations.
This initiative is delivering further benefits to these indigenous communities, such as the enhancing of their livelihoods, spiritual welfare, improved local environmental governance, reduction of forced migration, social inclusion and women empowerment (first Shipibo Conibo woman to be chief of its community).
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