PROJECT REPORT
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Dear friend, Thanks to your support, a total of 125,000 trees were planted to restore 418.17 hectares of land in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Planting trees in areas that have been degraded or deforested helps the environment by accelerating and assuring the re-establishment of healthy forests. Through reforestation, the canopy is restored, ecosystems are made whole, and biodiversity can thrive. None of this would be possible without you. On behalf of everyone at One Tree Planted, thank you! What follows is a report outlining the project you supported in the Andes. I hope you enjoy reading it and truly feel the impact you have made.
OVERVIEW
This reforestation initiative aims to protect and restore the Andes' native forest ecosystems in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru for their critical contribution to long-term climate resilience, their importance for water, land and food security for local communities and cities, as well as biodiversity habitat for a range of keystone and threatened species. Specifically, the goals of this project are to protect and restore the remaining native Polylepis forests across the Andes by establishing protected areas on public and private/community lands, improving local conservation leadership and management, and by addressing drivers of deforestation. The restoration of Polylepis consisted of multiple integrated landscapes management and restoration tools including reforestation, promotion of natural regeneration, protection and restoration of critical wetlands and top mountain watersheds — and advancing improved sustainable/regenerative grazing and grassland management.
TREES PLANTED 125,000
TREE SPECIES PLANTED 24
FAMILIES BENEFITED 1,000
HECTARES REFORESTED 418.17
WOMEN INVOLVED 5,000 JOBS SUPPORTED 40 VOLUNTEERS INVOLVED 2,000
WILDLIFE SPECIES BENEFITED 50 PEOPLE BENEFITED FROM TRAINING 100
TREE SPECIES PLANTED The planting of specific species, particularly Polylepis, in strategic areas is recovering and maintaining water sources for local populations as well as urban centers. These trees will also help improve soil conditions and connect habitats, forming natural corridors for native fauna.
Polylepis incana Polylepis lanata Polylepis subsericans Polylepis pepei Polylepis pauta Polylepis microphylla Polylepis australis Polylepis subtusalbida Alnus acuminata Buddleja coriácea Caesalpinea spinoza Erythrina falcata Jacaranda mimosifolia Kageneckia lanceolata Parkinsonia aculeata Prosopis alba Salix humboldtiana Schinopsis haenkeana Oreopanax ecuadorensis Luma apiculata Maytenus canariensis Tipuana tipu Cedrela odorata Tecoma stans
THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY IMPACTED SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE LOCAL POPULATIONS AND SUPPORTED GENDER EQUALITY IN THE COMMUNITY. THE AIM WAS TO BUILD LOCAL, EFFECTIVE AND LONG-TERM CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION LEADERSHIP CAPACITIES BY IDENTIFYING, TRAINING, AND SUPPORTING LOCAL RESTORATION LEADERS WHILE CREATING ADDITIONAL SOCIAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING LOCAL ECONOMIES THAT STRENGTHENS LONG-TERM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND COMMITMENT.
YOUR IMPACT ON THE MAP Acción Andina is a Latin-American led initiative aiming to protect and restore one million hectares of high Andean, native forest ecosystems in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela over the next 25 years for their critical contribution to long-term climate resilience, their importance for water, land and food security for local communities and cities, as well as biodiversity habitat for a range of keystone and threatened species.
DOCUMENTING YOUR IMPACT Through authentic and informative storytelling, we help donors relate to the people who plant their trees and to the impact they're making for the planet. We share photos, videos, and updates from our global projects across our social media, website, and other media to create a personal connection to the incredible work happening on the ground.
PHOTOS FROM YOUR PROJECT
CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT TO HIGH ANDES INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, POLYLEPIS PROVIDE THE OVERSTORY AND MAIN STRUCTURE FOR FORESTS THAT CONTAIN A DIVERSITY OF PLANTS VALUED BY THESE COMMUNITIES AS NATIVE FOODS AND MEDICINES. THESE TREES HAVE BEEN HARVESTED FOR FUEL AND CONSTRUCTION, MAKING THEM SCARCE RESOURCES FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES AT HIGH ALTITUDES.
BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS If the Amazonian forests are the lungs of the planet, then the forests of the Andes are its heart; the very source of its watery circulation system. The forests of the high Andes capture then release rainfall, sending it in measured flow to the vast Amazon below. Polylepis forests comprise a 3,000-mile-long, vegetative band spanning seven Andean countries and supporting a unique, globally rare, and rapidly disappearing ecosystem. The upper edge of these forests are found at 3,800 – 4,500 meters, defining the tree line for the Andes range. Often found beneath glaciers, these forests have been reduced to 3-10% of their natural range. Polylepis are keystone species in creating and supporting high Andean ecosystems, including wetlands. No other habitat is proportionally more important for all that it influences below. Polylepis forests are a major contributor to the Andean – and Amazon — water system. Their branches effectively comb and harvest mists and precipitation from the clouds. As a result, permanent streams are created. Agriculture benefits and carbon is sequestered where otherwise only rock would remain. And many rare and endangered species – more than 22 species identified by IUCN as species of conservation concern — persist only in this increasingly fragmented oasis of trees.
COMMUNITY
BENEFITS
Culturally significant to high Andes indigenous peoples, Polylepis provide the overstory and main structure for forests that contain a diversity of plants valued by these communities as native foods and medicines. The trees themselves are harvested for fuel and construction, scarce resources at high altitudes. 37 local and indigenous communities engaged in reforestation activities, representing over 10,000 people. Acción Andina directly impacts local communities through job creation for some of the most vulnerable in the population as well as supporting gender equality in the community. Training for nursery workers, mostly women, for example is designed to not only help women develop skills relevant to the project but also to create new income streams. In Ecuador, for example, Acción Andina partners are also teaching these workers how to cultivate other plants and gardens.
U.N. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FOLLOWING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS:
WHAT ARE SDGS? Sustainable development entails seeking out solutions that not only boost the economic outcomes of developing and poorer nations, but also work to limit (or eliminate) our impact on the planet. Trees are one such solution. From creating jobs and reducing hunger to improving gender equality, cleaning air and water, absorbing carbon, protecting life on land and water, and more, planting trees can address all 17 sustainable development goals.
"Planting trees here will protect, restore, and conserve the high Ande's forest and related resources. As the trees grow, they will largely benefit local communities, improve soil and water conservation, store carbon, moderate local climate, regulate extreme temperatures, increase wildlife habitat and improve the land's capacity to adapt to climate change.”
Malcolm Porteus Gonzalez Project Manager Latin America & the Caribbean