BAM has entered into a long term partnership with the Madre de Dios Federation of Brazil nut Concessioners (FEPROCAMD) aimed at preventing deforestation and preserving environmental integrity on 300,000 hectares of concession land in high quality rainforest. The project is helping to establish initiatives which will increase both the value of the healthy forest and the income generated through sustainable Brazil nut harvesting, empowering concessioners to protect and maintain their forest. Currently, concessioners’ activity is limited to subsistence Brazil nut collection and, in a very few cases, subsistence forestry. The long-term wellbeing of concessioners and their families is highly dependent on the health of local ecosystems, but they have few resources with which to protect their concessions. Illegal deforestation on concession land has increased due to the new InterOceanic Highway, which passes through Madre de Dios. The construction of this road has brought unusually high numbers of migrants to the area, many of whom use concession land to fulfill their housing and work needs. There have been significant increases in unsustainable, illegal, small-scale agriculture and logging.