Pledge by Global Forest Generation
Accion Andina: 30,000,000 high Andean trees by 2030
Total Trees Pledged: 30,000,000Supporting actions: Avoided Deforestation, Nursery Development, Data and Technological Tools, Science and Technical Assistance, Tree Protection through Management, Workforce Development, Environmental Education,
Acción Andina is a Latin-American led, forest landscape restoration 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 and indigenous communities, as well as biodiversity habitat for a range of keystone and threatened species. Global Forest Generation, the lead strategic partner for Accion Andina, pledges to conserve and restore at least 100,000 ha in the high Andes, including by growing more than 30 million trees from 2020- 2030. Through our pledge we will be planting 20 million trees in existing forests, planting 5 million trees through afforestation, and growing 5 million trees through natural regeneration.
Ecosistemas Andinos, Andean Adventures, Asociacion Armonia, Aves y Conservación, Centro de Biodiversidad y Genetica, CONAF Chile, Ecosistemas Argentinos, Fundación Jocotoco, Fundo de Agua (FONAG Ecuador), Sierras de Cordoba.
Trees: 20,000,000
Trees: 5,000,000
Local capacity building is key to the project’s success. Training is provided to communities on multiple aspects, such as community nursery building, propagation techniques, reforestation, conservation, protected area establishment and more. These practices are often replicated by the communities in other areas.
The project creates local jobs, mainly for women, in the nurseries as nursery technicians and/or nursery workers. Each of the 42 nurseries employees on average two laborers and one manager. In addition, each of the operating partners employs on average 1.5 positions for the Acción Andina project, providing jobs and funding for an additional 10 people per project.
Accion Andina focuses on the restoration of Polylepis forests, a unique high Andean ecosystem type. They currently comprise a narrow 6,000-kilometer-long, 500,000-hectare vegetative band spanning seven Andean countries and 1 supporting a unique, globally rare ecosystem. The edges of these forests are found at 3,500 – 5,000 meters, mostly defining the upper tree line for the Andes range and often found beneath glaciers. There are 21 native Polylepis species, filling different altitudinal and ecological niches.
Their contribution as a nature-based solution for climate change resilience is enormous, in particular for water and land security, as well as for their important community and biodiversity benefits. No other habitat is proportionally more important for all that it influences below, yet the restoration of these forests have been largely overlooked. Polylepis forests are recognized by local, national and global communities as an important contributor to Andean and Amazon watersheds. They are critical to building permanent streams and wetlands, as well as carbon-rich soils and ecosystems. They also serve as natural water reservoirs and also continuously provide freshwater to hundreds of thousands of people in local communities and cities below, including major Latin-American metropolitan areas.
The particularity of the project is that funds transferred to the communities for their sapling production and reforestation service are used collectively by the entire community for general community benefits, such as school renovation and fees, payment for school buses, solar panels, community halls, and other, depending on current needs. The community can choose to hire additional people to help manage the project and its operations locally, but this depends on the wish and priorities of each community.