Giants of the Rivers
The Arapaima (Arapaima gigas) is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Known by its local name, Pirarucu (Brazil) or Paiche (Peru), it is native to the Amazon basin, where it brings benefits to both the forest ecosystem and local fishing communities.
Arapaima grow up to 3 meters long and may weigh between 150 and 250 kg.
The species inhabits lakes and tributary rivers. The Arapaima is omnivorous and can feed on plants and animals of all sorts.
A special feature of the Arapaima is a modified respiratory swim bladder that works as a kind of lung and enables the fish to breathe in air. This unique feature makes Arapaima vulnerable to overexploitation: When surfacing for breathing, it can easily be caught by experienced harpoon fishermen.
As the Arapaima offers a very tasty meat, it has always been sought after by fishing communities in the Amazon. In the wake of rising fishing pressure in the second half of the 19th century, the stocks of Arapaima decreased and by the late 1990, the species has been officially declared as endangered.
Thanks to science-based, community-led conservation efforts over the past 20 years, stocks have been successfully rebuilt in sustainable management areas and today, the Arapaima is thriving again as a key species of the forest ecosystem.
Guardians of the Amazon
Traditional, local and indigenous communities have always been deeply connected to the Amazon rainforest, which provides for food and livelihoods.
This is specifically true for the Arapaima, which is a key species to the forest ecosystem and local riverine economies.
The community-based fisheries management ensures healthy stocks of this iconic fish, safeguards food sovereignty and income of communities, and promotes the conservation of biodiversity in the Amazon.
The Taste of Amazon program empowers local communities as active stewards and guardians of the Amazon – creating a success model for other communities to follow.
The current forest and fishery conservation program encompasses more than 280 riverine communities in the state of Amazonia, with 14’000 local people directly benefitting from the economic up-side of sustainable catch of Arapaima.
The up-side value of sustainable fisheries management is substantial, – and in fact for many communities – revenues from Arapaima is the single most important income stream from natural resources. Besides other crops such as nuts, fruits and medicinal plants, Arapaima nowadays acts as the key driver for economic incentives to preserve the rainforest.
Fisheries Management
Once overexploited and threatened with extinction, today in managed areas, stocks of Arapaima are thriving and contribute to the continuous rebuilding of biomass across the Amazon and its tributaries.
The fundamental basis of this success story is a unique community-based fisheries management plan, which has been developed by scientists and is implemented under a co-management model by participating communities and local authorities.
The fishery management plan is based on a simple logic: Protect 70 % of the adult stock and harvest 30 % of the continuously growing, surplus of biomass.
This is being achieved by assigning each river community a specific forest management area, where Arapaima thrive in protected forest lakes.
Using a science-based methodology, biomass of Arapaima in the lakes is assessed each year, and communities develop a harvesting plan for every fifth lake, which is officially approved by the forest management authorities.
Every year during the dry season, community members are catching and harvesting Arapaima in the assigned extraction lakes, leaving enough individuals in the protected lakes to spawn again.
Fair Trade
The Taste of Amazon program empowers traditional river communities as active stewards and guardians of the Amazon rainforest.
The establishment of fully transparent and socially-inclusive supply chains is of essential importance for the program’s ability to create robust and reliable incentives for local communities to participate in the conservation program.
The Fair Trade certification program acknowledges the inclusive nature of the conservation program and creates additional benefits and price premiums for participating communities.
The standards of Fair Trade USA’s seafood program safeguard strict adherence to human rights, workers’ safety and labor laws along the entire supply chain for
Arapaima harvested in the forest conservation and fisheries management zones.
Fair Trade premiums create additional revenue streams and value for participating forest communities and allow local stakeholders to invest into continuous improvement of environmental and social conditions on site.
Fostering local livelihoods and the creation of up-side value through responsibly exploited natural resources are key drivers for realizing prosperous communities in the Amazon.
Conservation & Biodiversity
As an ecosystem, the Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Over 3 million species live in the rainforest, and more than 2500 tree species help to create and sustain this vibrant ecosystem.
The Taste of Amazon program not only maintains the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest in the managed areas, but specifically protects endangered key-stone species such as the Giant Amazon River Turtle, the Giant Amazon Fish Otter and the Amazon River Dolphin.
Part of the communities’ revenue streams from the Taste of Amazon program are dedicated to protect and preserve endangered species which fulfill a critical ecosystem function in the Amazon rainforest ecosystem.
Supported by local scientists and conservation groups, members of local river communities actively protect and monitor critical habitats and nesting sites for protected species such as the River Turtle, enforce the ban of destructive fishing gears and deter poachers from entering the protected zones.
By sourcing and offering Arapaima from the Taste of Amazon program, buyers, chefs and consumers can directly engage in the conservation of biodiversity and keystone species.
Climate Change & Green Carbon
The Amazon is an area of outstanding natural value, and an important tool in the fight against climate change. It not only hosts 10 % of global biodiversity but acts as huge carbon storage and fuels global rainfall patterns.
The communities of the Amazon are an important ally in fighting climate change: The Taste of Amazon program enables communities to preserve huge areas of pristine rainforest, thus making sure that more than 2.1 billion tons of carbon remain stored in the forest and its soil.
As global food systems continue fueling our hunger for more meat and soy, the Amazon rainforest will continue its critical decline by deforestation and ecosystem degradation.
The Taste of Amazon program not only offers local communities a viable economic alternative to the short-sighted path of destruction but offers a climate-smart and nutritious food choice!
Arapaima from sustainable rainforest fishery in fact, features a very low carbon footprint, only matched by farmed mussels – similar to Tofu!
Hence, our partners and consumers not only preserve the rainforest from destruction but can enjoy a climate-friendly and tasty meal!
Project Location in the Amazon
What started in 1999 as a pilot project for the conservation of the Arapaima, today encompasses a network of more than 280 communities accross four major rivers and tributaries to the Amazon.
The Taste of Amazon conservation area covers more than 150’000 km² of pristine rainforest, corresponding to about three times the surface of Costa Rica.
The local partners and organisations behind the Taste of Amazon program consist of members of the “Pirarucu collective”, which are all located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas.
The communities of the conservation program are located along the rivers basins of the Purus, Negro, and Juruá, which are all major tributaries to the main river, the Solimões, or the Amazonas.
As the program grows and succeeds in crating longlasting partnership with international clients, more communities from additional river basins will be able join the initiative.