case studies undp: green life association of amazonia (avive), brazil

7272019 Case Studies UNDP GREEN LIFE ASSOCIATION OF AMAZONIA (AVIVE) Brazil

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcase-studies-undp-green-life-association-of-amazonia-avive-brazil 112

Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people nature and resilient communities

Brazil

GREEN LIFE ASSOCIATIONOF AMAZONIA (AVIVE)

Empowered live

Resilient nation



UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that woor people and or nature Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve the breadththeir impacts or how they change over time Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practitionthemselves guiding the narrative

To mark its 10-year anniversary the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners ndash vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succeto scale to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions and to serve as models replication Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to lsquoThe Power o Local Action Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Prizersquo a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiativersquos searchable case study database

EditorsEditor-in-Chie Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor Oliver HughesContributing Editors Dearbhla Keegan Matthew Konsa Erin Lewis Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey Erin Atwell Toni Blackman Jonathan Clay Joseph Corcoran Larissa Currado Sarah Gordon Oliver HugheWen-Juan Jiang Sonal Kanabar Dearbhla Keegan Matthew Konsa Rachael Lader Patrick Lee Erin Lewis Jona Liebl Mengning MaMary McGraw Gabriele Orlandi Brandon Payne Juliana Quaresma Peter Schecter Martin Sommerschuh Whitney Wilding Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes Dearbhla Keegan Matthew Konsa Amy Korngiebel Kimberly Koserowski Erin Lewis John Mulqueen Lorena de la ParBrandon Payne Mariajoseacute Satizaacutebal G

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Green Lie Association o Amazonia (AVIVE) and in particular the guidance ainputs o Barbara Schmal AVIVE Project Coordinator All photo credits courtesy o Barbara Schmal Maps courtesy o CIA World Factboand Wikipedia

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme 2012 Green Lie Association o Amazonia (AVIVE) Brazil Equator Initiative Case Study Ser

New York NY



PROJECT SUMMARYSince 1999 Green Lie Association o Amazonia ( Associaccedilatildeo

Vida Verde da Amazocircnia ndash AVIVE) has worked on the island o Silves deep in the heart o the Amazon rainorest to builda trade in aromatic soaps candles cosmetics and perumescontaining the oils o medicinal plants such as rosewoodand andiroba By adding value to the raw materials obtainedrom native orest species and eliminating middlemen inthe value chain this women-led initiative has improvedincomes or its members and associates

The initiative has involved substantial capacity-building insustainable harvesting techniques commercial-standardoil extraction business administration and marketing Oneobstacle to business development was navigating stateregulatory rameworks and laws governing the trade o medicinal plants In overcoming all o these challengesAVIVE has benetted rom a broad partnership model

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER 2002

FOUNDED 1999

LOCATION Silves island Amazonas state Brazil

BENEFICIARIES 570 community members

BIODIVERSITY Sustainable extraction of rare plant specie

3

GREEN LIFE ASSOCIATION OF AMAZONIA(AVIVE)Brazil

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 6

Biodiversity Impacts 8

Socioeconomic Impacts 9

Policy Impacts 9

Sustainability 10

Replication 10

Partners 11



4

ince its launch in 1999 Green Lie Association o AmazoniaAssociaccedilatildeo Vida Verde da Amazocircnia - AVIVE) has developedechniques or the sustainable extraction o vegetable oils obtainedrom medicinal and aromatic native plant species particularlyhe Brazilian rosewood plant also known as pau rosa The project

promotes the production o natural medicines and cosmetics asn economic opportunity or the women o Silves These productsre now sold in stores in Silves and Manaus catering both to localonsumers and to tourists as well as international markets toenerate income or local women

he organization leads a ar-reaching environmental educationprogram and produces seeds or the replanting and recovery o

egional orests where extractive activities threaten biodiversity Toprotect the endangered pau rosa and other rare plant species AVIVE

ighlights the importance o sustainable extraction and is activelynvolved in the creation o a ldquosustainable development reserverdquo

where these species are cultivated and harvested in ways that doot threaten their regeneration

Ecological context and project catalysts

AVIVE operates on the island o Silves located at the junction o he Canacari Lake and the Urubu River next to the Amazon Rivert the heart o the Amazonas state o Brazil More than one third all known species live in the Amazon a diverse tropical area

hat extends over 41 million square kilometers Deorestation inhe Amazon Basin continues to destroy habitats and endanger thexistence o many plant and animal species indigenous to the area

Approximately 13 o the original rainorest has been destroyedargely a result o rancher activities large corporate operations andlash-and-burn techniques employed by small-scale armers

At the beginning o the 20th century an English company establishedhe rst Rosewood Essential Oil Distillation Unit in Silves on Saracaacutesland At that time rosewood trees (Aniba rosaeodora) were

plentiul accessible and easy to harvest and transport The company

heavily exploited rosewood or nearly ten years beore moon leaving the local population without employment or inctheir land decimated Between 1940 and 1978 another Brazcompany established a distilling unit this time along the SanaRiver towards the middle o the orest 25 km rom Saracaacute IslRosewood was becoming rare however and production did notIn the 1980s others tried unsuccessully to establish distillation 40-60 kilometers away rom Silves but the remaining trees wlocated too deep in the orest or a cost-and time-ecient opera

Rosewood oil extraction

As Silves was historically a center or rosewood essentia

production and because the oil was traditionally used in cosmetics and medicine it ollowed that there was commuinterest in reviving this once lucrative industry AVIVE was ounin 1999 by 20 women rom Silves ollowing their participationcourse on native aromatic and medicinal plants which was preseby a proessor at the Federal University o Amazonas and organby the Silves Association or Environmental and Cultural Preserva(ASPAC) Following the course the participating women agreea vision o producing home-made natural medicines and cosmto create employment opportunities or local women whilerestoring and preserving a traditional knowledge system

An additional goal was lowering the cost o medicine or the population and protecting a threatened indigenous speciesounders saw potential in the national and international demor Amazonian products and moved ahead with awareness osocial and environmental concerns that made sustainably prodproducts valued commodities The associationrsquos main goal promote a viable economic alternative or the women o Silves uthe Amazonrsquos plant lie to extract essential oils or the produo natural cosmetics thereby ensuring the sustainability orainorest and involving the community in sustainable livelihand an integrated conservation-development model

Background and Context



55

Certifcation licensing and supply-chain management

arriers to realization o the associationrsquos vision emerged earlyhe architects o AVIVE learned quickly that Brazilian laws andertication requirements in regards to medicinal products were

nexible convoluted expensive and inhospitable to community-based initiatives with limited resources The association settled on amore realistic ocus o using vegetable oils as aromatic and medicinal

ngredients in soaps candles perumes and incense the traditionalnowledge was still applicable and the legislative environment inhis area was more avorable Primary among the associationrsquos newocal species was rosewood oil Sustainable extraction activities

would ocus on countering trends o over exploitation o the speciesn the Silves municipality With technical and nancial support rom

World Wildlie Fund-Brazil AVIVE was able to begin its sustainableproduction o vegetable oils in July 1999

he association soon encountered another hurdle in the orm obtaining the necessary licenses or marketing their products

nternationally The issue rst came to the ore in 2001 when AVIVEttempted or the rst time to export rosewood oil and soaps under

ts own label to WWF-UK While the association obtained permissiono export rom Brazilrsquos Sistema Integrado de Comeacutercio Exterior and

while the necessary sanitation license was granted by the Ministry Agriculture they were denied the second sanitary license rom

he Ministry o Health which was needed or customs To qualiyrazilian producers require a business license which is issued byhe National Health Surveillance Agency and which carries with itlong list o stringent requirements This continues to be a hurdle

o the associationrsquos operations to this day One specic challengeas been construction o a production unit that conorms with and

meets National Health Surveillance Agency standards To get aroundhis AVIVE has been relegated to the inormal market through a

espachante or paid middle-man who arranges or associationproducts to be ldquodonatedrdquo to international buyers in exchange ornormal payment The association remains committed to obtaininghe necessary accreditation and is working with an international

private sector partner to begin construction on the production unit

AVIVE has also encountered problems in managing its supply-chainAs demand or their soaps increased the organization struggled tomeet supply needs To address this challenge AVIVE enlisted theupport o extractors rom neighboring communities to help withustainable harvesting rom their orest areas Since AVIVE is a non-

prot organization the women ormed a cooperative organizationalled COPRONAT in 2003 to unction as AVIVErsquos commercial arm and

llow association members to be nancially compensated or their

work The establishment o COPRONAT has also allowed associamembers to apply or bank loans and access ormal credit chanwhich has in turn acilitated investment in and growth o sbusinesses

AVIVErsquos ounders have also encountered numerous political bureaucratic challenges Until 2008 when the National PlanSocio-biodiversity was introduced there was no legal ramewo

either the state or national level to support the processing o timber orest products An additional challenge has been acto public institutions and the centres o governmental decimaking As there is no legal representation o state governmethe Silves district the association needs to make a 380 kilomtrip to Manaus This has made ongoing accreditation advoand communication eforts extremely challenging and at tstrained (The association received a curt letter rom the Directthe National Health Surveillance Agency inorming the womeAVIVE that they would never obtain the requisite business liceas an accredited technician would need to be hired and that prospects or attracting such an expert were dim) A urther and bureaucratic hurdle has been the acquisition and registrao ormal land titles According to prevailing laws AVIVE collesites needed to be registered at the ederal state and district leIn total the process o registering land titles or all 26 producareas ndash covering 1300 hectares o land ndash took seven years Ininterim while the association was navigating this registraprocess they established a partnership with the company PrecWoods Amazon which owns 336000 hectares o orest (mostthe Silves Municipality) and allowed AVIVE access to 66000 heco that land

Governance and organizational structure

In 2010 AVIVE revised its institutional ramework to gain Society Organization o Public Interest (OSCIP) status a designaawarded by the Ministry o Justice or associations and oundatas outlined in Brazilian Law nordm 9790 rom 1999 To meetspecications and requirements o this designation AVIVE opea general assembly as the principal decision-making body and eve women to the executive board two o whom are then chas president and vice-president Other elected ocials includadministrative and nancial coordinator a project coordinatooperations coordinator a communications coordinator a social wcoordinator and three women who make up the nancial couWhen an ocial decision is needed the executive board conva special assembly OSCIP status enables the association to req

public nancial resources and to access bank loans

ldquoIn 2009 one of the biggest floods in the last 100 years hit us followed by a strong drought wi

unusual forest fires which caused great loss of the natural resources we had inventoried It

clear to us that we need to engage more and start as soon as possible a local campaign with th

help of other local institutions to prevent fires during the yearly droughtrdquo

Barbara Schmal Project Coordinator



6

Key Activities and Innovations

AVIVE sustainably extracts vegetable oils rom medicinal andromatic plant species to produce natural cosmetics and other

products Copaiba oil a balm-like substance is collected romhe trunks o the trees Essential oils (breu puxuri and rosewood)re obtained by steam distillation while atty oils (cumaru andndiroba) are obtained by cold expression AVIVE then uses these

oils in the production o a line o cosmetic products that includesoaps with rosewood cumaru andiroba copaiba and melao-satildeo-aetano essence as well as aromatic and repellant candles incensereams and perumes In 2001 the women o AVIVE opened a story

n the largest city in Silves called lsquoAVIVE Natural Productsrsquo The storeaters to bother local people and to tourists AVIVE is also building

processing centre which will bring the association in conormitywith National Health Surveillance Agency standards and providehem with the legal certication needed to export their products

Sustainable extraction o essential oils

n all o its projects and activities AVIVE maintains a strongnvironmental ocus The association has developed techniques orhe sustainable extraction o endemic plant species many o whichre threatened or endangered including the Aniba plant (pau rosa)he women o AVIVE collect ruit resin seeds leaves and brancheshese collection activities are wholly sustainable as trees do not needo be elled By successully collecting processing and marketing

on-timber orest products the association is demonstrating toocal communities that orests are worth more intact than choppedown or logging or arming In addition to their conservationctivities AVIVE is actively involved in reorestation The associationas installed a nursery that produces seedlings o native plantsocal community members are then enlisted and recruited to carry

out tree planting in strategic locations o the orest Over 3000eedlings are grown and planted each year all o which are native

plant species

The beneciaries o AVIVE work all into two categories The rsthe 43 women that currently constitute the AVIVE cooperativesecond are the nearly 100 men and women involved in collecplant materials making crats and producing the oils and prodTaking amily units into consideration the association benetotal o 570 people Women have been a priority target benecas their opportunities or employment and income-generatiothe region are markedly limited As a complement to its incogeneration activities the association ofers women coursecomputer science English as a second language and marketing

Secondary processing and land tenure securitization

One notable AVIVE innovation has been in value-added seconprocessing or identiying uses or endemic plant species beytheir traditional purposes or in their raw material orm innovation has allowed local women to circumvent intermediand middlemen who have lled supply-chain vacuums in the mtraditional sectors and created commodities that etch a hipremium in target markets For instance while demand alrexisted or Andiroba oil in its pure orm as an insect repellant Awomen ound a niche or the same oil in candles and soaps Simiwhere oil rom the Breu tree species was traditionally used as caumaterial or boats AVIVE began using it in insect-repellent canand incense And as one more example Pau rosa and prec

which were previously used only or timber are now conservethe extraction o oils which AVIVE uses in soaps creams and lotIncome-generation or the local population has been successcoupled sustainability principles and environmental conservati

A second notable AVIVE innovation has been their ability to selegal rights to harvesting sites and successully obtain sancertications Where the vast majority o community producersdocumentation o their rights to access the land where they wwhich ultimately introduces an element o uncertainty and insecndash AVIVE has obtained land titles or its collectors The association



7

pioneered new ground in establishing lsquogood collection practicesrsquon the absence o national guidelines or standards To ensure thepplication o sustainability principles across its supply-chain

AVIVE introduced FairWild Standards (ISSC) which also set a newbar or the collection o non-timber orest products in Brazil Aspreviously mentioned the struggle or sanitary certication has

been long-ought Throughout AVIVE has been the imagdetermination knowing that ocial legal status and certicaare absolutely essential to gain access to high-value and high-reinternational markets AVIVErsquos commitment to good governand transparency are among the many reasons it maintains stand lasting relationships with partners and donors

ldquoAVIVErsquos advice to other communities hoping to build sustainable initiatives is to build network

and partnerships with local and national governments research institutions and donors Havin

a strong partnership with a university will make it possible to undertake difficult and expensivresearch on biodiversity A minimum commitment of 10 years of financial support from dono

is usually needed to get off the ground In terms of human capital sustainability can be achieve

by promoting capacity-building and by protecting the communityrsquos traditional knowledge An

lastly patience is needed because a good project grows slowlyrdquo




8

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTSBy increasing the per-unit value o harvested raw materials AVIVE hasuccessully incentivized the conservation o previously threatenednd overexploited plants Several groups have transitioned rom tree-elling to more sustainable and biodiversity-riendly practices suchs the harvesting o Copaiba oils or the collection o Puxuri leaves

Among the associationrsquos most noteworthy biodiversity impactshas been its ability to change the attitudes and behavior o local

ommunities in Silves towards their orests where once the economyevolved around logging and land conversion or agriculture AVIVE

has ushered in a new environmental consciousness that emphasizes

ustainability and the long-term value o standing orests

Environmental education and training

AVIVE has been particularly active in environmental education andoutreach The association conducts awareness-raising campaignsargeted at collectors producers armers landowners and youthn the municipality Campaigns ocus on imparting the centrality o

protecting and conserving local orests or sustainable livelihoodsnd a stable local economy Outreach has also taken the orm o

workshops and trainings More than 70 individuals rom 15 diferentommunities have been trained in the sustainable collection o

non-timber orest products Through these trainings collectors are

provided with sae equipment to gather raw materials Small groupso collectors are also pulled together or trainings on adherence toenvironmental regulations with AVIVE orest technicians visiting

ollection sites and conducting workshops

One example o AVIVE training in environmentally-riendly harvestingechniques has been in the collection o copaiba oil Previouslyollectors cut deep gashes into the trunks o copaiba trees and inome cases would chop down the entire tree to obtain the essential

oil AVIVE now teaches collectors a more sustainable technique o making small holes in the trunk o the tree which are closed ater oil

collection is complete The trees are then let or a our year peo regeneration In just one community Sao Pedro at least 168 have been protected by the adoption o this method

AVIVE also receives technical guidance rom specialists on harvesting methods In 2010 the association established pprotocols or each o the 11 species with which it works inclupuxuri (Licaria puchury major) Andiroba (Carapa guianensisCarapa procera) buriti (Mauritia exuosa) preciosa (Aniba caneCumaru (Dipteryx odorata) pau rosa (Aniba roseadora Ducopaiba (Copaiera multijuga) and breu (Protium spp) Indrating o the plant protocols AVIVE was careul to combine ex

advice with traditional knowledge Experts hired by IUCN gathbibliographic inormation on each species including bodata site habitat and distribution ecology threats conservmeasures managing practices (both traditional and scienmarket data (supply and demand) extraction practices productand more In a parallel process AVIVE worked with local commmembers to undertake inventories o the sites map the trees photos and develop spreadsheets The nal product has been received and with its straight orward language and instruillustrations is regarded as an accessible and resonant seguidelines or on-the-ground conservation Collectors workingAVIVE sign statements which commit them to ollowing the protocol guidelines In 2010 three o the protocols mdash or cop

cumaru and breu mdash were accepted by the Brazilian InstituEnvironment and Renewable Natural Resources or inclusion inmanagement plan o Precious Woods Amazon (FSC certied athereby allowing AVIVE to legally collect ruits seed and resin wthat area o orest

Biological monitoring

To measure changes in biodiversity AVIVE conducts regenerstudies and takes species inventories To date AVIVErsquos regenerastudies have ocused on the Breu species in the Precious Woods



with guidance rom a orest engineer rom the Federal Universityo Viccedilosa MG Data is still being collected or this study and AVIVEhopes to carry out similar studies or all o the species they usecontingent upon uture nancial support Species inventorieshave involved measuring the circumerence o trees analyzingndividual plants and conducting interviews with local peopleegarding their collection methods This inormation is added to a

database which AVIVE maintains From 2004 to 2010 the area o

community orest inventoried increased rom 675 to 3500 hectaresUCN has partnered with AVIVE on several studies looking at the

complementarity o traditional and modern biological monitoringmethods

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

Prior to ormation o AVIVE raw materials such as puxuri seeds breuesin copaiba oil and cumaru seeds were sold to intermediariesor little prot Local producers were dependent on intermediarieso access markets and had no platorm or collective bargaining o air prices The value-added secondary processing ofered through

AVIVE ndash turning these raw materials into cosmetics soaps lotions

candles etc ndash has signicantly increased local incomes In 2005 theaverage salary o those involved in project activities was R$16800about USD 100) In 2007 it increased to R$27500 (about USD 165)

With the additional income women have invested in new stovesreezers TVs sewing machines and home improvements

Empowering women through sustainable livelihoods

The women who ounded AVIVE were previously unemployedThrough association activities they now have a source o incomeas well as opportunities or learning and or travel Having acquiredmarketable skills and improved their nancial independence AVIVErsquosmembers have also gained a sense o empowerment which hasproven efective in decreasing the occurrence o domestic abuse

Since AVIVE is a non-prot organization the production andmarketing o its products is done through COPRONAT a cooperativeestablished in 2003 The cooperative also serves to channel paymentso local women or their work And it is not only cooperative

members who benet rom COPRONAT In several cases the sonsand daughters o women members began volunteering with theassociation and cooperative have received capacity building andkills training and have since become salaried employees andechnical staf or the project

POLICY IMPACTSOver time AVIVE has developed a positive reputation o trust andcredibility with various levels o government By demonstratingpositive results and showing that it could attract the interestrom and partnership with reputable national and internationaltakeholders ndash Bank o the Amazon ProVarzea ICCO ICEI World

Wildlie Fund-Brazil Petrobras the Government o Germany etcndash AVIVE has garnered attention and respect rom both the stateand municipal governments At the local level AVIVE membersare routinely invited to participate in various aspects o local

decision-making processes such as the local health council andcity council labor group Four AVIVE representatives are permamembers o these councils

At the regional level AVIVE has played a pivotal role in the creatioa Sustainable Development Reserve (Reserva de desenvolvimsustentaacutevel ndash RDS) in the Silves district The zone which wknown as the RDS Saracaacute-Piranga will be an area o land w

communities may sustainably harvest non-timber orest prodsustainably harvest timber and sh RDS is a category desigby the Brazilian government to devolve sustainable managemo land in the Amazon rainorest to local communities AVIVEbeen cooperating with the state government o Amazonas onproject since 2009 along with the Italian Institute or InternatEconomic Cooperation and the Silves Association or Environmand Cultural Preservation The process is currently waiting osignature o the governor Upon the establishment o the AVIVE will became a part o the supervising council AVIVE consthis legal designation a viable solution to a prevailing land rproblem as local access rights will be ormally recognized bystate under well-dened legislation

At the national level AVIVE has participated in two public meeto discuss national legislation on the management o non-timorest products In the absence o national and state strategiethis issue AVIVE has been implementing FairWildrsquos InternatStandard or Sustainable Wild Collection o Medicinal and AromPlants as a guide or sustainable collection and producAVIVE has been an outspoken advocate o these guidelinessensitized members o the respective environment agricuand development Ministries in Brasilia and Manaus Whilelegislation has been passed specically relating to non-timorest products the government has created commissions councils or each species or producers group where experts disand outline best management practices The methodology AVIVE uses or inventories was presented to the Amazonas SInstitute o Agricultural and Sustainable Forest Development whas committed to adopting and replicating the model with omunicipalities in the Amazonas state

9



10

Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYhe key components that make this project sustainable are theraining and capacity-building o the AVIVE women and communityollectors the decision and determination on the part o the womennd the collectors rom other communities to work legally andransparently the existence and mapping o natural resourcesnd the nancial support o donors (ICCO ICEI IUCN Petrobrasrecious Woods Amazon among others) Capacity-building ocusesn developing a participatory organizational structure and good

managing practices or collection extraction and abricationpractices (or natural products and cosmetics) Practical trainings are

eld on computer skills accounting etc

AVIVE is currently dependent on its partners or unding but theroup hopes to become independent by 2012 They are currently

working on a business plan to this end In order to make theproject more sustainable work must be done on two critical rontsncreasing the production o oils and nished cosmetic productsnd enlarging the collecting sites For the ormer they need toonstruct the production unit in 2011 with the aim o receiving theanitary license rom the Health Ministry This license is essential orncreasing production and sales because it will allow AVIVE to exportts products One impediment to AVIVErsquos long-term sustainabilityas been natural disasters AVIVE lost the participation o many

Andiroba producers in 2010 ater a strong ood that was ollowedby a stronger dry season where 45 o 49 trees were destroyed by

re This unortunate event had a negative impact on local incomess well as interest in the project So now AVIVE is starting over

with people rom another community (Satildeo Joatildeo) who had plantedeveral Andiroba trees years prior

Production commercialization and marketing

A crucial component o AVIVErsquos sustainability is its commercialrm COPRONAT In Brazil a non-prot association is allowed to

commercialize products but is not allowed to remunerate memo the association or their work In 2003 the women o Aalong with other community members established COPROa cooperative to produce and commercialize natural prod(cosmetics and handicrats) which has a separate number atNational Registry o Legal Entities (CNPJ) AVIVE is administratedby women whereas the COPRONAT is mixed (the men who entare the sons o the AVIVE ladies)

As AVIVE members the women do volunteer work but as coopermembers they receive remuneration or their work in produsoaps candles and other products There is a contract betw

AVIVE and COPRONAT allowing the cooperative members toAVIVE inrastructure and equipment (bought with money rom Aprojects) or the production o natural products AVIVE has assthe cooperative nancially in the past because unortunatelycooperative still lacks capital but is currently working towardnancial independence o these organizations requiring that mgiven to COPRONAT is just a loan and must be paid back to AWith guidance rom a lawyer AVIVE is preparing a contract wwill give more transparency to this relationship

REPLICATION

Due to AVIVErsquos success in the sustainable management o timber orest products the group is oten used as a case studthe national government and international organizations AVIVEpromotes the exchange o traditional knowledge among peopthe local level In one example o such exchange a local womanis a traditional Andiroba oil extractor was hired by the projeteach interested women o other communities in the Silves disabout the methods and technology she uses This kind o knowleexchange ensures that the traditional practices will not be orgoand that more women will be able to produce the oil and incrtheir revenue



1111

VIVE continues to be involved in technical trainings in the areas best manuacturing practices (oils soaps etc) best collectionractices (together with experts rom PWA and INPA) accountingnd monitoring and evaluation at the regional and national levels

with the Ministry o Environment the Amazonas state and a range o GOs and public institutions AVIVE also participates in knowledgexchanges with other groups across Brazil to replicate and improven the program model In 2009 representatives o AVIVE visited the

roject RECA in the village o Nova Caliornia Rondonia State Inhe past AVIVE members have visited the Cooperative o Producersnd Improvers o Herbal and Medicinal Plants Herbal Medicine andosmetics (Cooptos) o Manaquiri Amazonas state In addition

epresentatives o many Amazonian community institutions haveisited AVIVE and stayed or a time to see how they work and whatesults have been achieved AVIVErsquos knowledge exchanges usuallyake place in the orm o visits within Silves but sometimes the

women participate in technical events and airs at the nationalegional and local levels

PARTNERS

VIVE has benetted rom a wide range o partnerships withovernment agencies bilateral governments banking institutionsnd non-governmental organizations Their various orms o upport have been integral to AVIVErsquos work and have included directupport in terms o improving the eciency o collection methodsducation on land rights capacity-building product certicationeveloping value chains gaining sanitary licenses and unding oronstruction activities

Past partners

WWF-Brazil ProVaacuterzea IBAMA (KW DFID) and BASA (Bank o

mazon) were important partners rom 2000-2006 providingnancial support (rom all those listed) and technical support (romroVaacuterzea SEBRAE AM and WWF-Brazil) WWF-Brazil in particularrovided critical technical and nancial support which allowedVIVE to overcome several initial obstacles such as a small building

o house production packaging or soaps and candles supporto develop the AVIVE trademark and technical training and alsoostered knowledge exchanges with similar production groups

Recent and current partners

he ICCO Foundation Netherlands has provided nancial andechnical support since 2007 or eld activities (inventory plant

monitoring) capacity-building (administrative and nancialmanagement o AVIVE technical training o collectors and producers

aluation and monitoring o the project support o technical stafrocurement o extraction equipment and travel costs

he ICEI (Istituto Cooperazione Economica Internazionale ndash Italy)as provided nancial and technical support since 2008 or eldctivities (inventory plant monitoring) administrative supportnd the procurement and maintenance o extraction equipments

computer boat car etc)

GTZ-Brazil has provided nancial and technical support since 2or activities related to the production processing and marketinvegetable oils (trainings in the management o value chain techconsultancy o organizational development quality controthe products sanitary license etc) knowledge exchanges publicizing the work and results o the project at thematic airsevents

Petrobras (a Brazilian Petrol Company) has provided nasupport since 2009 or technical staf the procurement o extrac

equipment accounting and judicial advisory the construction oproduction unit ( 250 msup2) publicizing the work and results oproject through exhibiting the products at thematic airs and evand publishing two books and travel costs The initial investmreceived rom Petrobras was R$ 140000 and AVIVE is hopthat they will provide the additional nancial resources to construction in 2011

Precious Woods Amazon (PWA a private Swiss timber compwhich is FSC certied) has provided nancial and techsupport since 2006 or eld activities (inventory plant monitoradministrative support maintenance o equipment and travel c

IUCN SUR provides unds and technical support to improve the MAP FAIR WILD certication The rst phase took place in 2008-2over 18 months and AVIVE is currently trying to set up the secphase o this project

SEBRAE and VERSUS Cooperative (Consultancy) have provcapacity building on developing trademarks marketing client relations and was instrumental in drawing up plans orconstruction o AVIVErsquos production unit in 2007



Equator Initiative

Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)304 East 45th Street 6th FloorNew York NY 10017Tel +1 646 781-4023wwwequatorinitiativeorg

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNrsquos global development network advocating or change onnecting countries to knowledge experience and resources to help people build a better lie

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations governments civil society businesses and grassroots organizatio recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people nature and resilient communities

copy2012 by Equator InitiativeAll rights reserved

Click the thumbnails below to read more case studies like this

FURTHER REFERENCE

AVIVE website httpwwwaviveorgbr

Hughes O Corcoran J and Lader R 2010 Value-Added Secondary Processing or Conserving Biodiversity and Alleviating Poverty

Examples rom the Equator Initiative Biodiversity Journal v 11 1amp2 httpwwwtandonlinecomdoiabs101080148883862010

2640

Video on AVIVE 2002 (Vimeo) httpvimeocom27016504



UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that woor people and or nature Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve the breadththeir impacts or how they change over time Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practitionthemselves guiding the narrative

To mark its 10-year anniversary the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners ndash vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succeto scale to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions and to serve as models replication Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to lsquoThe Power o Local Action Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Prizersquo a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiativersquos searchable case study database

EditorsEditor-in-Chie Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor Oliver HughesContributing Editors Dearbhla Keegan Matthew Konsa Erin Lewis Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey Erin Atwell Toni Blackman Jonathan Clay Joseph Corcoran Larissa Currado Sarah Gordon Oliver HugheWen-Juan Jiang Sonal Kanabar Dearbhla Keegan Matthew Konsa Rachael Lader Patrick Lee Erin Lewis Jona Liebl Mengning MaMary McGraw Gabriele Orlandi Brandon Payne Juliana Quaresma Peter Schecter Martin Sommerschuh Whitney Wilding Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes Dearbhla Keegan Matthew Konsa Amy Korngiebel Kimberly Koserowski Erin Lewis John Mulqueen Lorena de la ParBrandon Payne Mariajoseacute Satizaacutebal G

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Green Lie Association o Amazonia (AVIVE) and in particular the guidance ainputs o Barbara Schmal AVIVE Project Coordinator All photo credits courtesy o Barbara Schmal Maps courtesy o CIA World Factboand Wikipedia

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme 2012 Green Lie Association o Amazonia (AVIVE) Brazil Equator Initiative Case Study Ser

New York NY






KEY FACTS


FOUNDED 1999




3


TABLE OF CONTENTS





Policy Impacts 9

Sustainability 10

Replication 10

Partners 11



4





















55
































6











plant species








7













8

Impacts










































9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640







KEY FACTS


FOUNDED 1999




3


TABLE OF CONTENTS





Policy Impacts 9

Sustainability 10

Replication 10

Partners 11



4





















55
































6











plant species








7













8

Impacts










































9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




4





















55
































6











plant species








7













8

Impacts










































9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




55
































6











plant species








7













8

Impacts










































9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




6











plant species








7













8

Impacts










































9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




7













8

Impacts










































9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




8

Impacts










































9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640























9



10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




10















REPLICATION




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




1111






PARTNERS


Past partners


















Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640




Equator Initiative






FURTHER REFERENCE




2640


case studies undp: green life association of amazonia (avive), brazil

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