ArBolivia has established a new partnership model of plantation forestry, in which timber revenues are divided equally between farmers and members of a not-for-profit co-operative society. Farmers also receive small but regular payments for looking after the trees. These are vital for basic food security, and intercropping with a wide range of cash crops, including coffee, cacao, and citrus fruits
, provides an additional short-term income for farmers. Instead of the typical “green deserts” of identikit non-indigenous trees normally planted in commercial forestry, ArBolivia is growing 12 different species of native hardwood trees. The 1400 hectares of plantation trees absorb high volumes of carbon dioxide and ArBolivia’s contribution to reducing carbon emissions has been certified by the Gold Standard Foundation and Plan Vivo. In the UK, investors can support ArBolivia through the Cochabamba Project Ltd., a not for profit society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Since 2009 the society's 500 members have contributed around £4m to the development of ArBolivia. This has taken ArBolivia from a start up project to a proven social enterprise generating substantial timber revenues. We are making a profound impact by pioneering a new model of plantation forestry that places farmer welfare and biodiversity at its heart. We have come a long way but we need your help to complete what we’ve started and to prove our business model, so that it can be replicated elsewhere. Specifically, we need around £1 million over the next few years.
