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Baker & McKenzie Legal Analysis – Surui REDD Project

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Forest Trends has received a new analysis commissioned from Baker & McKenzie on the legal aspects of the Surui Community Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation – REDD Carbon Project, involving approximately 248,000 ha of their traditional territory located in the states of Rondônia and Mato Grosso in the Brazilian Amazon. This Surui REDD Carbon Project is being developed by the Surui as project proponents with technical assistance from Forest Trends, Amazon Conservation Team, IDESAM, Google Outreach, and Carbon Decisions. The team will be completing a PDD in the next few months, aiming at avoiding over 16 million tons of CO2-eq in the next 44 years. Last fall, Baker & McKenzie reviewed the Surui rights for carbon sequestration through reforestation in their lands and concluded they have carbon ownership rights. The new study, focusing on the evolving REDD market, came to the same conclusion, positioning the Surui with exclusive carbon ownership rights: … the Project activities related to sustainable management of the forests and consequent economic benefits to be reverted to the Surui Community is in accordance with the legal object protected by the Constitution and legislation when it reserves to the Brazilian Indians (i) the exclusive use and sustainable administration of the demarcated lands as well as (ii) the economic benefits that this sustainable use can
generate.

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