1. How will planting tropical hardwood trees help save the remaining rainforests and preserve plant and animal species?

Planting and harvesting tropical hardwood trees reduces the pressure to log what little primary rainforest remains.  The expanding world population coupled with the ever-growing demand for beautiful and durable hardwoods has made it crucial to provide an alternative sustainable supply of these highly desired tropical woods.   Selected trees are periodically removed from Community Carbon Trees to improve growth rates ~see Community Carbon Trees in Detail.  These trees can be sold by the landowner and provide a sustainable local source of good wood.

The existing rainforest will also be preserved because we plant on deforested land that is otherwise unproductive, while providing local people with jobs and education.  We are committed to demonstrating the profitability of growing trees in a sustainable manner.  In time, we hope that more of the local people will share in the wisdom of growing the world’s supply of tropical hardwoods on land that has already been cleared, rather than continuing the pattern of cutting down older growth in rainforest ecosystems that are still capable of regeneration. 

Plus, because we are taking special care to create food forests for animals and people, especially along river borders, we will be supporting local wildlife and communities with food and clean water.  Endangered tree species are being collected and preserved for future generations.  As well, disconnected fragments of primary forest are being joined by Community Carbon Trees' planting designs to create larger intact stretches of regenerating forest for species survival. 

2. Why are tropical forests so important?

Tropical forests are earth-based repositories of biodiversity.  Biodiversity, as a term, refers to the variety of life on earth. It includes the diversity of ecosystems, the diversity of species within those ecosystems and the genetic diversity within each species.  Although tropical forests occupy only 7% of the total landmass on Earth, they are home to more than 2/3 of all the world’s plant and animal species (XI World Forestry Congress).  Costa Rica has one of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet and is home to 1 out of 5 known plant species.

Deforestation in tropical forests represents the greatest potential extinction of species that we humans are capable of.  Although it is impossible to accurately determine due to our limited knowledge of tropical ecosystems and inadequate monitoring systems, some estimates put the current annual loss of both plants and animals in rainforests at 50,000 distinct species each year.

In addition to providing wood products that we use in countless ways throughout daily life, including lumber, panels, posts, poles, pulp and paper, the tropical forests serve as reservoirs of germplasm for plant-improvement breeding opportunities.  Rainforests also supply a host of medicinal plants for our well-being and new sources of pharmaceuticals to fight disease.  Other forest products include fibres, resins, natural medicines, latexes, and fruits. Loss of this irreplaceable resource, therefore, presents serious biological and economic consequences and represents the most profound environmental tragedy of our time.

3. What’s happening to the birds and animals that rely on tropical forests?

The effects of deforestation and development of tropical forests can be catastrophic for all the insects, birds and animals that rely on the forest for food, habitat, and migration territory.  The chain of life is only as strong as its weakest link, and when forests are indiscriminately altered, the whole ecosystem can be seriously affected.  Recent studies in Costa Rica have shown that monkeys are dying at an incredible rate, primarily from loss of habitat, food supplies, and the introduction of agrochemicals into the natural environment.  All four monkey species are affected and scientists estimate that over half of the entire population of primates has died since 1995.  The population of spider monkeys has been the hardest hit, with a loss of 72% and only about 7,000 monkeys remaining (Tico Times, Apr. 29, 2007).  Habitat loss has pushed these monkeys to the brink of extinction.

Costa Rica is also a critical feeding ground for birds.  Canada has only 160 bird species spread over a huge landmass, whereas the tiny country of Costa Rica has over 870 species.  That’s because a large percentage of the birds that migrate from North and South America come to Costa Rica’s jungles to feed and strengthen themselves for the return flight home.  If food supplies here are insufficient, then bird populations throughout North and South America will suffer.  This in turn will have a detrimental effect on the control of insects and insect-borne diseases throughout the whole continental landmass. 

4. What are biological corridors?

Biological corridors connect separated patches of rainforest and forested land.  In doing so they prevent wildlife from becoming stranded in isolated islands of habitat that may not have adequate resources to support a variety of species.  Jungle cats and large mammals need at least a 50 square mile (80 square km) area of intact jungle habitat in order to survive, and find themselves at great risk when they are forced into areas inhabited by humans.  Reforesting to connect protected areas contributes directly to the conservation of biodiversity by providing sufficient and varied habitats required for the survival of species, including rare and threatened ones. 

On the Central to Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, The Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor was created by ASANA in 1996 and later made part of the MesoAmerican Biological Corridor in 2000 with support from The Nature Conservancy’s technical study.

The Corridor re-establishes the migratory routes between the jungles of the Osa Peninsula and the Talamanca mountain range and includes the Fila Costena, the Reserve Forestal Los Santos, and the National Park Tapanti-Macizo de la Muerte.  However, the Path of the Tapir Corridor, like so many other wild spaces on the planet, is being assaulted and battered on a daily basis as foreigners and locals alike convert jungles and regenerating forests to inappropriate use. 

5. What is deforestation and why does it matter?

Deforestation comes in all shapes and sizes.  Deforestation in Costa Rica began with cattle farmers in the 1970's who were subsidized by first world countries to burn jungle in order to provide a cheap source of meat to multi-national companies like McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy's.  These days, and in the last ten years especially, Costa Rica is being deforested by locals and foreigners alike who convert jungles to unsustainable uses like monocrop agriculture and intensive real estate developments.  Indeed, real estate projects have become a very serious threat to the environment.  Enormous destruction has been inflicted on the land by developers who turn steep jungle hillsides and regenerating forests into multi-dwelling condominium projects.

6. What are some of the consequences of deforestation?

Degradation of tropical land through deforestation is a physical, chemical, and biological process set in motion when the protective cover of vegetation is removed and the land is subjected to the intensity of the tropical sun and torrential rains.  This process includes accelerated erosion, leaching, soil compaction, decreased soil fertility, diminished natural plant regeneration or takeover by invasive weeds, and disrupted hydrological cycles with possible salinization, water-logging, flooding or increased drought risk.  There is a strong relationship between inappropriate land-use practices and land degradation.

In some places, degradation is manifest (desertification), where in others it is inferred (declining crop yields, for example). Conversion of tropical rainforest into farm or grazing land commonly results in rapid depletion of the soil's nutrient supply and accelerated soil erosion. In some areas the degradation process leads to takeover by persistent, aggressive weed species of no value that suck the remaining life out of the soil. Often the combined problems of low soil fertility and weed infestation become so great that the land is abandoned. 

Deforestation in mountainous regions is one of the most serious ecological problems today. Disturbance of vegetative cover on mountain areas with thin soil and steep slopes results in land instability, landslides and soil erosion.  Roads and home sites that are badly cut into hillsides and unsupported by erosion control methods will inevitably slide, adding tons of dirt to the stormwater and polluting the rivers that carry it to the sea.

The rivers in this area turn brown after a strong rain and carry huge loads of sediment out to the ocean, which devastate freshwater and coastal fisheries, in addition to smothering coral reefs and polluting whale-breeding areas. 

The utter devastation which occurred in Honduras and surrounding countries as a result of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 proves the long-term catastrophic consequences of deforestation.  And every rainy season in Costa Rica features a new onslaught of natural disasters largely caused by deforestation and inappropriate land use. 

7. How does deforestation affect watersheds and local water supplies?

When rivers and natural water springs are covered by healthy forest, their ecosystem is balanced and protected from the drying rays of the equatorial sun. Trees and vegetation hold rainwater in the soil like a sponge and prevent it from running swiftly over the surface of the land, causing erosion problems and water loss.  Without trees and surface vegetation moving the rain deep into the earth, many underground aquifers, springs and creeks are in danger of drying up.  The loss of water affects local communities that depend on it for the necessities of daily life and irrigation in the dry season.  Recent rapid development and construction have put even more pressure on local water supplies, storage systems and infrastructure that were not designed to handle so much demand.

It is true that some deforestation can be beneficial when it constitutes a rational conversion of one type of land use to a more productive one. The tragedy lies in the fact that most of the lands that have been deforested in recent decades are simply not suited to long-term farming or cattle grazing due to their thin soil.  And given seismic activity and steep terrain with torrential water run-off more than 6 months out of each year, choosing Costa Rica mountainsides for development of vacation homes is a poor conversion of land to irrational use. Once the forests are cut down, lands degrade even faster, and landslides become more frequent and more devastating. 

Deforestation also deals devastating, long-term blows to the indigenous communities.  For them, the arrival of “civilization” usually means the destruction of their traditional lifestyle and the breakdown of their social institutions.  On the other hand, reforestation of suitable land provides local populations the opportunity to work in partnership for a better and more sustainable way of life over the long term.

8. What are the effects of unsustainable development on Costa Rica’s rainforests and local communities?

Costa Rica has lately become the new mecca for foreign real estate developers who call it “the next Hawaii” and are buying up the rainforest at an incredible rate.  It has only been in the past 10 years that real estate sales really began exploiting the land and the people here.  And the last three years have been more active due to intensive real estate development projects like multi-level condominiums, gated communities, vacation villas and retirement residences. Foreign interest in Costa Rica has changed from the low impact eco-traveler or nature-lover to high stakes developers who come here to cash in. The real estate business is all about making money, and unfortunately Nature is paying a high price.

Although Costa Rica has progressive laws in place to protect its forests from indiscriminate destruction, many developers take advantage of the fact that the country does not currently have adequate resources or personnel to adequately monitor and enforce these laws in times of such rapid growth.  The environmental assessment process required for legal permission to cut trees, roads and house sites is complex and lengthy.  So many developers decide that it is easier to just go ahead and do what they want without the required permits, and then pay the fines if they get caught.  This can lead to enormous destruction. (photos – destruction tour file)  Whole mountainsides have been clear-cut, stripped of every living thing, so the land can be reshaped to provide as many top dollar ocean view house sites as possible.  Not only does this destroy whole ecosystems, it also destabilizes the mountainsides in an area known for frequent earthquakes.  The potential for erosion and future landslide disasters increases exponentially once the protective groundcover is removed and the natural contour of the land altered.

Even if the forests are not totally cut down, dividing up the land into individual lots has a negative effect on the animals that live there.  Fences and cleared areas break up stretches of intact forest and disturb traditional migration routes, trapping wildlife in scattered patches of forest that may not provide enough food or shelter.

In 2007 as president of the local environmental group ASANA, Community Carbon Trees in Costa Rica founder Jennifer Smith hosted “The Destruction Tour”, bringing national TV and media attention to the uncontrolled development of the Southern Pacific zone and its disastrous effects on the land.  Shortly thereafter, the regional Municipality of Osa, led by its new Mayor Alberto Cole and supported by a myriad of environmental groups and experts from University of Costa Rica, declared a moratorium on all earthmoving involving the cutting of trees until a comprehensive zoning plan can be created that will allow development without unnecessary destruction.

All this development is primarily for foreigners who are arriving in droves, looking for their tropical paradise or luxury retirement villa.  In the last 10 years land prices have gone crazy and some areas are now so expensive that the local Costa Ricans can no longer afford to buy land.  Family farms were sold to foreigners, who chopped them into lots and sold each one for more than they paid for the original farm.  Many Ticos move to the cities and try to survive in an urban environment.  The land and housing boom has certainly brought short-term employment in construction, but local communities need a solid land base, local food supplies, their own businesses and long-term employment in order to thrive.   Once the land is sold and the luxury ex-pat homes all built, local populations risk marginalization as communities of servants and paid labourers.

9. Are the World’s rainforests really in such danger of destruction?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has published some scary statistics in “State of the World’s Forests” (FAO, 1997).  Eight thousand years ago when humans began sedentary agriculture, forests covered approximately 40% of the world’s land area or about 6,000 million hectares. Tropical forests made up roughly half of the total forest cover. Now, there are only 3500 million hectares of forest left in the world, and more than 40% of the world's tropical rainforests have been cut down since 1940. 

Developing countries have chopped down forests at a rate of 15.5 million hectares every year from 1980 to 1990, and 13.7 million hectares per year for 1990-1995. Can you believe that we are cutting down more than 19 million trees every single day, 365 days a year?  We have lost 200 million hectares of forest over the last fifteen years.  This equals the total land area of Mexico or Indonesia!  High-resolution satellite photography taken by World Resources Institute scientists proves that we are literally erasing large green areas from our planet at an alarming rate.

10. What are some of the causes of this destruction?

As detailed above, real estate development is a growing threat to Costa Rica’s rainforests, but not the only one.  Nowadays, local farmers can earn much more from mono-crop agriculture like pineapple and bananas than from conserving their natural forests. Clearing their land of trees to grow cash crops is more economically feasible, especially as government subsidy payments for conservation of jungles is dwindling and harder to attain. (see www.FONOFIFO.com)

On a global scale, it is generally accepted that the world’s population is increasing by nearly 1 billion people every decade. The United Nations Population Division predicts that our numbers will reach 8.9 billion people by the year 2050 (from a current population of 5.9 billion), with the greatest growth in the tropics. We can expect that the rate of deforestation will increase as competition for food, land and resources escalates. 

As observed by the XI World Forestry Congress, the deforestation trend in Brazil, which has more remaining tropical rainforest than any other country, continues rapidly mainly due to rural population growth coupled with agricultural expansion.  The peasant farmers are practicing slash and burn techniques to clear increasing amounts of farmland, which continues to produce adverse consequences that have only just recently been noticed by the rest of the world. In many cases tropical deforestation is actually promoted by government policies that provide incentives for land clearing and/or subsidies for specific types of agriculture.

The growing demand for tropical hardwoods also puts tremendous pressure on the World’s rainforests.  As international demand increases and supply decreases through both protection and depletion, the prices of all tropical hardwoods will certainly skyrocket.  The money that can be obtained for tropical rare hardwoods tempts many locals to continue to cut huge, rare trees in protected areas.

The XI World Forestry Congress Publication Some Major Trends in Global Forest Products Markets (1997) predicts that environmental awareness and requirements of customer rights will grow increasingly strong and set specific demands for forest products originating from sustainably managed forests.  In fact, in September 1998, the United States joined nearly 40 other nations that produce or use tropical hardwoods in signing the International Tropical Timber Agreement, created to sustain forests around the world.  The pact, which went into effect in 1999, states that tropical timber producers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America will try to export wood from only sustainably managed forests by the Year 2000.  This goal was not reached but progress has been shown in the United Nations World Forestry and Forest Product Reports.  Restricting harvests to sustainable forests will cause worldwide supplies to drop beneath current levels, which will in turn continue to raise prices. 

11. Why don’t I just plant trees in my own community? 

You should plant trees where you live for all the beauty and services they give us. But if you are looking to make a bigger impact per tree in cleaning the air of carbon, planting trees near the Equator gives you greater results. Without a cold dormant period, the trees planted in tropical rainy climates far exceed growth rates of trees grown elsewhere.  And the abundant undergrowth commonly found in tropical forests adds even more carbon sequestration capacity.

12. Why Costa Rica?

Costa Rica shares a unique position on the planet within a narrow range of the Equator where tropical hardwood trees flourish.  The growing season is year round as opposed to regions where a winter season brings a dormant period.  Therefore, growth rates exceed those in North America, Europe and colder areas.  The aboveground biomass of tropical forests is often more than 175 tonnes of carbon per hectare.

Throughout the world, intact stretches of rainforest are critical to efforts to preserve the planet and the bio-diverse array of plant and animal species living here, including the human race. In the face of modern day industrialization and runaway capitalism, there are very few places in the world where existing stretches of healthy rainforest remain.  And the Southern Pacific Zone in Costa Rica is one of them.  Community Carbon Trees will help to augment and connect these patches of rainforest to create biological corridors and sanctuaries for wildlife and plants.

Costa Rica has been consistently rated as a low risk country for investment by the International Country Risk Investment Guide.  Costa Rica is a democracy known for its system of statutory laws.  Its Constitution guarantees private property, human rights and equal treatment of all people, including foreigners, before the law.  Costa Rica also has a long history of environmental protections for biologically diverse areas.  Over 25% of the country’s landmass is currently protected in National Parks and public or private reserves.  There are laws to protect trees from indiscriminate cutting, and comprehensive legal easements that landowners can use to protect private lands from present and future development.  The country is free of civil unrest and does not have a standing army.  Its people are hardworking and gentle, knowledgeable and respectful of Nature. The Pura Vida (Pure Life) spirit is contagious.