Acker receives representatives from Germany and the United Kingdom in Serra do Divisor

The Serra do Divisor National Park, located in the Jurua Valley, one of the largest biodiversity hotspots in the world, received from the Secretary of State Planning on July 2 and 3 an international delegation collaborating with REM Acres. (Ceplan), a financial collaboration between the governments of Acre, Germany and the United Kingdom.

In total, 97 families live in the park, which is part of the investment of REM, already contracted throughout the state, in the last year, R$ 942 thousand in services and equipment only for the community-based tourism project.

The REM program

The project started with the government of Germany and received support from the United Kingdom, raising a total of BRL 104 million to date. The main objective of REM is to reduce carbon emissions while protecting the environment. In 2022, the 10-year REM agreement ended, after which representatives of international funders began to visit and annually review the use of resources.

According to Agência de Notícias do Acre, who has already visited Acre for other monitoring tasks, Klaus Cohenlein, portfolio manager at German bank KfW, visited the Serra do Divisor National Park for the first time. According to him, it is important to be there and talk to the community to exchange experiences and learn about the project’s achievements.

During the visit, the mission representatives were able to talk to community members, learn about the reality of the region, learn about the progress they have made in the REM project and their future expectations.

Through REM and with the Secretary of Tourism and Entrepreneurship (Seven), the region has already benefited from five training courses, all focused on tourism, boat operators and the culinary sector.

Serra do Divisor

The site is the fourth largest national park in Brazil, managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and has several activities mainly in support of tourism by the government of Acre.

In two days in the Serra do Divisor, the entourage was able to enjoy remarkable experiences, which are among the main excursions offered by the hotels in the region. For Svenja Bunte, manager of the REM program at the UK’s Ministry of Energy Conservation and Net Zero (DESNZ), discovering the natural beauty of the region was incredible.

The international delegation includes Franziska Troeger, First Secretary for Sustainable Development and Forestry at the German Embassy; Sören Schopferer, KfW technical expert; Claudia Levy, Socio-Environmental Specialist at KfW; Sarah Bettem, Economist at the UK Department of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development; Louise Hill, Portfolio Manager for Climate Finance (REM and LEAF), UK Department of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development. Representing the set were Cirlania Venturin, tour director; and Francisme da Costa, regionalization coordinator.