Wasi manta cocoa plantations are settled down in a sylvan and sensitive environment regarding the protection of the environment and the biodiversity. San Martin region is also subject to important and ancient deforestation. Located at the edge of an area of natural conservation, ACR Cordillera Escalera, a massive forest quite well preserved, the new plantations of Wasi manta were accompanied by a significant recovery of canopy trees rehabilitating the most degraded land area..
Plantations were established exclusively on land having already been deforested. They are of three types: old coffee plantations of poor quality, but with the advantage of a wooden area already well developed which consists mainly of Guabas or Pifayos, other lands in the state of old "Purna", land grown back to the state of uncultivated land with mainly bushy vegetation and finally lands exclusively planted with "Gramma" (high and woody grass) destined to bovine pasture. These are the most degraded and it is particularly long and difficult to restore canopy trees there.
On these grounds, the planting of the cocoa trees was associated with a real reforestation operation. Alongside trees providing shade for the cocoas, as Bananas for transitory shadow and Guabas for permanent shadow, 1500 trees of precious tree species (Caprirona, Kaobab, Palipero, ...) were reintroduced from the beginning in the plantation and its edges with the technical assistance of the staff of the regional natural reserve ACR. A renewal of organic materials given the impoverishment of the soil, due to the presence of gramma, was also applied. Finally, fruit trees are gradually being included, notably Aguajes which have a planned reintroduction of 400 new seedlings.
