What began in 1999 as an initiative for the endangered Arapaima, today is a success model for community-based conservation in the largest biome
of the world.
150000
km²
Primary Rainforest under Conservation
Total area of RESEX zones assigned to communities subject to the Arapaima conservation program in the state of Amazon, encompassing the river basins of the Purús, Juruá, Solimões and Rio Negro, which are all major tributaries to the Amazon River
[Program Status April 2024]
14000
People
Benefitting from the program
There are 280 riverine communities participating in the program. With an estimated number of 50 people per community, the total number of direct beneficiaries of the conservation program is 14‘000. [Status April 2024]
2100000000
Tons
Carbon sequestered in the Forest
Considering a baseline figure of 140 tons of stored carbon per ha, the total carbon sequestered in the rainforest under the conservation program amounts to 2,1 Billion tons of carbon.
Reference: Chave, J., et al. G. (2014) Improved allometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass of tropical trees. Global Change Biology, 20, 3177– 3190
147
x
Increase in Arapaima Abundance in Conservation Areas
Population size of Arapaima significantly differ between managed conservation areas and open access, unmanaged lakes in the Amazon rainforest. Whereas in protected lakes, the population density of Arapaima may reach up to 0.294 fish per ha surface, in open access, unmanaged areas the density of Arapaima reached 0.002 individuals per ha. This represents a 147-fold increase in species abundance in the conservation areas.
Reference: Campos-Silva, J., Peres, C. Community-based management induces rapid recovery of a high-value tropical freshwater fishery. Sci Rep 6, 34745 (2016)
Fish of Change
Up-Side Value of Sustainable Fisheries Management
Carbon Footprint
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Frozen Arapaima
