What is Pelorus Foundation?
Our mission is to champion innovation and act as a catalyst, empowering individuals and local communities to preserve and protect the world’s wildlife and wild places for future generations.
The Climate Investment Fund
Innovation, Reforestation and Technology
The CommuniTree Carbon Programme, the latest addition to the Climate Investment Fund is a cutting-edge reforestation initiative that creates long-term income opportunities for farmers in Central America, particularly those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This award-winning programme, the largest of its kind in Nicaragua, combines innovation and community engagement to transform underused land into productive forests, offering sustainable solutions to local farming families.
Transforming Lives Through Reforestation and Technology
Run by Taking Root, the CommuniTree Carbon Programme is driven by innovation to connect local farmers with global reforestation efforts. The programme offers smallholder farming families new ways to use their underutilised land by planting trees that sequester carbon. In return, farmers receive direct payments over time, providing a steady income. This innovative approach ensures that forest restoration not only benefits the environment but also enhances the livelihoods of local communities.
THE IMPACT
To make forest restoration a sustainable solution to climate change, CommuniTree recognises that trees must offer long-term value to local communities. In one of the poorest countries in the Americas, CommuniTree is designed to ensure forests improve the livelihoods of farmers who traditionally earn less than $2 a day.
Innovative Income Generation for Farmers
- Direct Payments: Farmers receive payments over a 10-year period for growing forests, with at least 60% of the carbon credit sale price returned to them, utilising innovative carbon financing models.
- Forest Enterprises: Through the programme, farmers are empowered to innovate and create new businesses, selling products such as high-value woodcrafts, biochar, and sustainable shade-grown coffee.
Community Benefits and Innovation
- Job Creation: The program creates thousands of seasonal jobs within local communities, from seed gathering and nursery building to tree planting. This innovation in employment generation drives economic growth in rural areas.
- Climate Resilience: The reforested areas help farmers adapt to climate change by reducing the risk of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. The innovative design of polyculture forests provides natural climate buffers for farmers.
- Biodiversity Enhancement: By planting native tree species, the program promotes biodiversity and encourages natural regeneration across reforested areas, blending traditional knowledge with innovative conservation practices.
- Landscape Restoration: Innovative reforestation methods restore degraded landscapes, replenish water aquifers, stabilise soil, and provide essential shade for livestock, which helps regulate local microclimates.
- Income Stability: Forest-related activities occur during farmers’ off-seasons, providing an additional source of income when it is most needed, enhancing financial resilience through innovative scheduling.
- Knowledge Building: Through community workshops and personalised guidance, farmers learn the most innovative silvicultural techniques and sustainable forest management practices, ensuring long-term forest health and community prosperity.
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
A key driver of the CommuniTree Programme’s success is its use of advanced technology to track and maximize its impact. Taking Root’s innovative platform—formerly known as FARM-TRACE—employs mobile, satellite, and machine learning data to monitor progress and deliver effective, targeted interventions. This cutting-edge approach ensures unparalleled transparency for funders and provides real-time insights into the program’s impact on farmers and the environment.
COMMITMENT TO LONG-TERM CHANGE
The CommuniTree Programme is more than just a reforestation initiative. It’s a forward-thinking solution to both climate change and rural poverty. By leveraging innovative practices in carbon financing, agroforestry, and community-led conservation, the programme helps build stronger, more resilient communities while restoring vital ecosystems.
Through a combination of innovative approaches to reforestation, farmer empowerment, and cutting-edge technology, the CommuniTree Carbon Programme is transforming the future for smallholder farmers in Nicaragua while making a tangible impact on the fight against climate change.
