How We Work

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The Rainforest Management Alliance (RMA) initiative protects rainforests and their indigenous communities by the reduction or cessation of full scale commercial and unsustainable logging and by assisting in the development of sustainable community based social and environmental projects. These are chosen by the local landowners and their communities to help provide an improved standard of living, education and health care.

RMA work by securing and utilising the carbon sink potential of each Forestry project area and then, through enabling the development of projects that assist local landowner groups and their communities generate alternative and sustainable sources of income.

Creating a Working Environment

Over the last two years, Rainforest Management Alliance has been working to develop a business model to facilitate the development of Avoided Deforestation Carbon Trading projects.

Fundamental to the development of these projects is the belief that the company must adopt an open and transparent approach, engaging with the landowners from the commencement of project discussions. This allows the project developer a greater understanding of the needs and culture of the landowners in any particular area.

Rainforest Management Alliance facilitates an awareness program, informing the landowners of any issues involved in developing the projects. In this way, the landowners gain trust and commitment to the projects. Landownership issues are identified and addressed at this very early stage.

It is essential the Landowners are aware of the requirements to develop the projects for both themselves and the developer. The landowner must agree to enter into the project without enticement or the promise of money from the developer. The Landowner must fully understand what they are agreeing to in entering any agreement with the developer.

The landowners enter into an agreement whereby the present and future legal rights to the carbon are transferred to the project developer. The project developer does not own the forest or the land but simply has the right to commercialise the carbon sequestered in the project area on behalf of the local landowners and community from within the designated project area. In transferring these rights, the landowners agree to preserve their forests and the biodiversity contained in them. They have agreed to avoid the potential deforestation from full-scale commercial and unsustainable logging activities within their areas, enabling them to be preserved for all future generations.

As the projects are community based and the benefits are shared within the community it is essential the landowners understand they own the project and have a crucial role in the delivery of the benefits and in determining the requirements for each project.

Rainforest Management Alliance facilitates the financial and commercial aspects necessary for the project to be developed. Read more about how we support our members here. All projects are developed to internationally recognised and credible standards. These include the Climate Community and Climate and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) and the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS). Both of these standards use an ISO standard to calculate the carbon contained in the forest. The REDD methodology for the CCB is an established standard and the methodology for the VCS is currently under review and is widely anticipated to be issued during 2010.

Rainforest Management Alliance believes it is critical to ensure the communities benefit from the income generated from the preservation of their forest areas. Whilst there may be a small cash component or royalty paid to the landowners once the project is validated, the benefits are passed back to the communities through their identified projects.

Health projects such as immunisation, health clinics, tropical disease control and specialised care programs are often requested. Education is another major consideration from the landowners. Improved schools, teacher assistance, resource materials always feature highly on the requests from communities.

Access to their areas is a major requirement from all the communities along with good communication and housing. We are currently developing plans with one group of landowners for a housing project for up to 500 houses. This project includes community centres, open space, playing fields, health centres and schools all to be built within an accessible area to benefit the whole community.

It is essential that the development of enterprise in the local communities be facilitated by the project. This will see the employment and income generated by the local community remaining in the area and will kick-start a micro economy in the project area.

The development of the project and subsequent commercialisation of the carbon resource is only the beginning. The delivery of the benefits to the communities within the project areas is the true measure of the success of the project.

Read more about RMA projects here