EXPEDITIONS

Protecting forests, a vital challenge FTC TREE takes part in

Protecting forests is vital for the future of our planet, and we at FTC TREE think we also should play an active part in supporting the communities who fight for a sustainable future. We are proud to help people with the same passion of the trees, when we can. In 2023, we sponsored an expedition in Ecuador - it was organised by Big Canopy Campout (BCC) to help the indigenous community of Siekoya Remolino. It is a way of showing our commitment to sustainable development. The initiative aims at promoting the preservation of forest ecosystems and helping local populations with lasting economic solutions.

Big Canopy Campout is an association that was created in 2017 by British tree climbers, born out of their passion for trees and climbing, but also for science and exploration. Their idea was to create a platform that would connect people who are devoted to protecting forests of our planet - each in their own way - and celebrate them.

So, it is a solidarity network helping to fight for the future of trees and forests - complex, beautiful but fragile ecosystems. The network helps sharing the knowledge of these people with a tool that they rarely master, social media, and increase public awareness to environmental questions.

Big Canopy Campout: A world network for forest protection

CAMPOUT ?

Every year (except for 2024), BCC coordinates a world campout: it is not a gathering of campers in one place, but an invitation to a campout in a forest. From sleeping in the canopy (for expert climbers) to nestling on the forest ground, it is above all about taking the time to connect to the environment, observe it and share the experience.

If you’re interested, it is also possible to become a scientist during your adventure.

Every year, Big Canopy Campout also selects an organisation they will focus their fundraising actions on. That is how the association supported the actions of the World Land Trust and the Bob Brown Foundation.

Since 2021, Big Canopy Campout has been supporting their efforts on protecting forests with the Siekopai community of Siekoya Remolino in Ecuador, with the SËRA Foundation.

In September 2023, Big Canopy Campout has organised an expedition - to share competences, knowledge and techniques and thus help creating more sustainable income for the 53 families of the community and improve their food sovereignty.

More information here.

Focus on Ecuador: Protecting forests, a mission

The indigenous community that was once prosperous lives on the banks of the Aguarico River, in the North-East of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Their territory used to stretch across 7 million acres, from Ecuador to Colombia and Peru. They were 30,000, now they are only 1,600 - currently surviving on a 50,000-acre territory of rainforest. They are surrounded by oil exploitation and plantations (oil-palm monoculture).

The community fights to protect their ancestral land and their culture - both threatened by the oil-palm industry. It is vital to quickly find alternative sources of income in order to be able to resist the financial offers from the industry - the pressure to replace the native forest by plantations is enormous.

The Siekopai community has chosen to turn to ancestral trees and plants and use their encyclopedic knowledge of the native flora. The morete palm (Mauritia flexuosa) is one solution. It is a local species and the fruits can be used for many products: juices, jams, desserts but also cooking oil and products for skincare. Those products are known in Ecuador, and there is a high demand.

SIEKOPAI - A COMMUNITY, AN EMERGENCY

The morete palm (Mauritia flexuosa) is a viable option for the Siekopai. The fruits can be used in many commercialised products and offer a sustainable economic alternative. They are known and in high demand in Ecuador, but harvesting them is a technical challenge that can be overcome with tree climbing competences.

The morete palm tree: a sustainable solution to keep protecting forests

"In the Siekopai territory, that variety grows abundantly - it takes a tree 20 to 25 years to reach maturity. As it is a tall tree that has no branches, picking the trees is difficult. The trees used to be felled for a harvest on the ground, but as it is not sustainable, the community stopped that - and the fruits were no longer harvested. So, the project was to train members of the community of Siekoya Remolina to climb the palm trees, making for abundant, safe and sustainable harvest. The products that will be made out of the fruits will be a source of food for the community and also be sold for a complementary income."

Technical challenge, climbing and protecting forests in a sustainable way

The funds raised by BCC (around £16,000) have enable the training of 7 tree climbers who continue to climb and also teach other members of the community. That was for the training, but there also is a need for gear - that’s where FTC TREE helped, sending tree climbing products (citer matos ?). They have been used during the technical training for safe tree climbing, then stayed in Ecuador so that the new climbers could work in safe conditions. The initiative not only optimises harvests, it also promotes competence transfer and helps protecting forests through sustainable exploitation.

The next challenge is that of producing and stocking products that could be sold. That implied requirements for electricity and water, a first task for the community. A location had then be found for the laboratory: it must be usable by as many people as possible, while meeting the parameters dictated by Ecuadorian hygiene standards. The location has been agreed on with the help of Juan Arcos, the distillation expert who is working with the Siekoya community on the project. The remaining £12,000 have been transferred and will be used for the building costs and the adaptation of the laboratory. Maintaining a sterile environment in the jungle is no easy task, still it is possible. Being autonomous for the production and storage is vital, it will help the community with extra income and contribute to protecting forests, in that instance rainforest.

After the expedition, a group has been established to connect South American climbers: KËNAPUTIYO Grupo Escaladores, a group that is spreading so that more indigenous communities can use “western” climbing methods. The idea is to adapt the methods to native trees and climb more safely.

And after that?

The documentary “Climbing Through Cultures with Siekoya Remolino” is a testimony to the impact of the expedition and the conservation efforts of the Siekopai community. It was premiered in the spring in Augsburg (Germany), and is reaching an international audience, as it has been selected for film festivals. It is another initiative raising the awareness of a larger public about the critical situation of rainforests and indigenous people, with the main topic of protecting forests.

Global impact and awareness for forest protection

FTC TREE IN ALL THAT?

We had been following the initiative for a few years, through Vicki Tough and the Ausgburg trade show, when we were contacted by Sven, a Belgian climber, in the spring 2023 - asking for climbing gear. Laurent Pierron, our director, is familiar with rainforest expeditions, he knows the difficulties for that kind of projects, both material and technical. So, FTC TREE has eagerly accepted and shipped the gear, to be used during the expedition and left for further use. Later this year, during the Baumschnack event in Hamburg (19/10/2024), a raffle is organised for Big Canopy Campout, we also shipped products as prizes. It might be another opportunity for you to win our famous FREEXION! FTC TREE is honoured to support such vital initiatives for the conservation of biodiversity and the well-being of local communities. We’ll keep giving material and logistical support, so that we contribute actively to protecting forests and our planet. To know more about our values, visit our website. If you want to relive the expedition and its preparation, and then follow the evolution of the Siekopai project after the expedition, there are many articles on the BCC website, here. You can read all the articles, they are great!