In a nutshell

After the Native Forests Environmental Protection Law 8304 was approved in Tucumán (2009), the issue acquired a new physical, social, and functional dimension, extending to the whole province. Thus, the Tucumán Model Forest comprises all protected areas (private, provincial and national) in the province and represents 19% of the territory (environments under legal protection and special management to achieve conservation and/or preservation goals).

The Tucumán Model Forest is located in the western part of the Tucumán province, in the Argentinian northwestern region. It covers 46,665 km² and includes a wide array of natural and anthropic landscapes, distributed along a gradient that varies from 450 to more than 5000 masl.

Landscape

The territory is characterized by mountains and valleys, the richness of its flora and fauna and the beauty of its landscapes. It has a high biological value, occupying strategically important areas to preserve the natural and cultural patrimony, large biodiversity and provincial natural environments, with ecosystems such as the biogeographical province of Selva de Yungas, the high Andean region (Región Altoandina), puna, and arid and semiarid lands.

Biological diversity, water resources, stability, the working of the entire provincial territory and its sustainable development largely depend on the protection and preservation of these areas. They hold anthropological and archeological value, as well.

Partnership

The Tucuman Model Forest was created through several civil society organizations. At the moment, it is reformulating its structure and striving to add new stakeholders. The Tucumán Model Forest has a mixed governance scheme, articulating public and private sectors. Activities are carried out from the Cooperativa de Trabajo Generar Ltd.  Members of the Board act as an administrative body to seek funding from private firms and international cooperation agencies.

Sustainability

Strategic goals:

• To implement the land-use plan for protected areas in the province;
• To maintain biodiversity;
• To preserve important natural settings when, through their use in production or tourism, they turn into sources of income and employment for the population;
• To safeguard the natural and cultural patrimony;
• To promote research, education and recreation.

Key actions in place to reach these goals:

• Disseminating the concept of forest environmental goods and services;
• Promoting a sustainable use of Model Forest environments, native forest areas in particular, and collaborating in conserving their biodiversity;
• Value the provincial protected area system;
• Promoting the implementation of prior consultation, participation, and information access processes for indigenous communities existing within the Model Forest;
• Promoting citizen participation and actions geared towards improving community wellbeing and social inclusion in schools located in the Model Forest territory.
• Disseminating sustainable practices in production systems and training local producers;
• Promoting agritourism, ecotourism and community-based cultural tourism;
• Strengthening the Tucumán Model Forest.

Key impacts:

• A Strategic Plan designed as a decision-making and governance guide for partners and stakeholders (2015);
• Active participation in Popular Consultation and Updating Workshops about the Tucumán Province Native Forests Land-Use Law (2018);
• “Forest School” model implementation, after launching environmental education participatory workshops at some elementary and secondary schools in the province, which were enthusiastically embraced by students and their teachers;
• The short film “The value of our forests”, created for training, communication and dissemination;
• The mobile phone app Tucu Trivia, designed to instruct children and teenagers on environmental issues in Tucumán’s protected areas.

Learn more about Tucumán Model Forest :

Web page: The Tucumán Model Forest in the Cooperativa Generar Ltd website (in Spanish)

Video: Proyecto: “Bosques Escuela” (in Spanish)

Video: El valor de nuestros bosques! (in Spanish)