Replenishing Asia's largest mainland tropical forest, for profit and for communities.
ACRE is a Myanmar-based reforestation program, that scales up to 25,000 acres [10,000 ha] in 5 successive tranches, from 2022 to 2026. We are currently seeking additional funding partners for a 1st tranche of 150 acres.
Why Myanmar?
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Myanmar, a Least Developed Country, is experiencing an economic collapse with the World Bank projecting 18% GDP contraction.
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The food crop planting season was significantly under-funded due to post-coup disruptions, so a food crisis looms.
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Even before the coup and economic collapse, Myanmar, which holds mainland Asia’s largest tropical forests, was recording the 3rd highest deforestation rate in the world – given food & economic issues, it is likely (and anecdotally reported) that this rate of deforestation is accelerating.
ACRE Approach: Grow the natural forest under the protective canopy of the pioneers.
Soil Degradation and Solution
After logging, rains wash-out the top soil, leaving degraded soils directly exposed to sun light. Forest trees fail to find nutrients, or the shade protection required to grow.
The solution is to first plant a selection of tree species that:
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tolerate poor soils
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fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, acting as a natural fertiliser
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grow fast and withstand harsh environment
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are strong light demander
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tolerate drought
Target species are planted in Year 4 after pioneer species had nourished the soil and start providing shade. Target species form following layers and provide restored natural forest:
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Forest floor
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Understory
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Canopy
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Emergent
ACRE programme overview
ACRE programme is multi-tranches and aims at restoring 25,000 acres [10,000 ha] of natural forest in five campaigns:
Tranche 1 - 2022 - 150 acres [60 ha]
Tranche 2 - 2023 - 2,000 acres [800 ha]
Tranche 3 - 2024 - 3,750 acres [1,500 ha]
Tranche 4 - 2025 - 8,000 acres [3,200 ha]
Tranche 5 - 2026 - 10,000 acres [4,000 ha]
Impoverished surrounding populations are the main threat to forest restoration initiatives. With a view to involving Communities, and giving them a reason to protect their environment, ACRE works only on officially registered Community Forest [CF] land.
The forest restored on the CF land is managed for 10-years by ACRE under an Agreement with the CF User Group, that specifies employment conditions and the proportion of revenue shared with the communities.
Under the Community Forest law dated 2019, ACRE's "climate-smart" timber initiative is allowed to trade under the form of Community Forest Enterprise.
© RecofTC
Focus on Phase 1
Located in the mountains of Shan State, near the colonial altitude resort of Kalaw, the land to be reforested represents over 150 acres of deeply degraded soils. Depletion of the soil cover over the years has resulted in the almost complete depletion of the water table, condemning the villagers to source their water several miles away...
View of the surrounding areas.