Ecuador hosts the greatest natural diversity per square meter on the planet. Its four diverse regions: Amazonia, Coast, Highlands, and the Galapagos Islands host 8% of all the animal species and 10% of all flora on the planet.

Each of these regions include unique ecosystems that the country seeks to protect.  For the preservation of this biodiversity, Ecuador became one of the first countries to implement the REDD+ framework, which stands for “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”; the “+” signifies the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

First launched in 2009, and implemented with the issuance of Ecuador’s REDD+ Action Plan: Forests for Good Living 2016 – 2025, this national policy also guarantees the best living conditions for the population.

The governing bodies of Ecuador’s environmental and agricultural sectors, with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are implementing PROAmazonia to foster sustainable and deforestation-free production in the value chains of the four commodities with the largest cultivation area in the Amazon region: palm oil, cocoa, coffee and livestock.

PROAmazonía has developed an innovative platform to monitor farm perimeter building in cooperation with coffee and cacao producer organizations that are committed to reducing deforestation.

This collaboration encourages participation from producers to generate information at the farm perimeter level through the use of smartphones that provide a free open-access conservation monitoring system.

According to scientific research, the canton of Palanda, located in the province of Zamora Chinchipe, on southern Amazonia, is identified as the birthplace of cacao, based on evidence of ceremonial usage between 5450-5300 B.C. in the Mayo-Chinchipe culture.

A part of the Ecuadorian Amazon travelled to Amsterdam and Milan. From June 23 to 25, representatives of the producing sector, authorities and specialized technicians will visit the “Chocao” and “World of Coffee” tradeshows. The Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through PROAmazonía promote the commercialization of sustainable deforestation-free coffee and cocoa in specialized markets.

With the aim of strengthening trade relations for sustainable coffee and cocoa from the Amazon and positioning Ecuador’s efforts as a leading country in forest conservation and sustainable production, a marketing strategy was implemented that includes its presence in key national and international trade shows.

The selected events, in which Ecuador will participate in the first semester of the 2022, include a visit to specialized tradeshows in the Netherlands and Italy that attract more than 2.000 people and bring together more than 200 exhibitors and international coffee and cocoa experts. In this visit, the Ecuadorian delegation will have the opportunity to improve their knowledge in production systems, build customer loyalty, and establish new business opportunities. As well as positioning the work carried out by the country in favor of sustainable production and, at the same time, presenting the application of the model for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).