The world is waiting for its leaders to take action on climate change, and the decisive days will be this coming December, in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is hoped that the nations of the world, industrialized and developing, will be able to reach an accord on curbing CO2 emissions; debatable points include modifications of the Kyoto Protocol or absolution in favor of a new treaty, whether targets are binding or non binding, and the use of cap and trade programs such as the program in the European Union.

Yet another significant component of climate treaty negotiations regards the issue of emission through deforestation and carbon credit schemes, often called REDD (Reduced Emissions through Deferred Deforestation). Approximately one fifth of all global carbon emissions come from land use change and deforestation in tropical countries, primarily Brasil and Indonesia. REDD programs are voluntary under the Kyoto Protocol, meaning that governments do not get official credit for reduction of pollution. However, some governments and polluting companies have undertaken conservation programs that offer payments with the aim of avoiding deforestation; most of these are focused on tropical, developing countries. (see articles in The_Washington_Post and The_Economist) The_Amazon_Fund, initiated by the government of Brasil, is another type of program, which aims to collect donations from developed countries to use as incentives for tropical countries to prevent deforestation. However, the Amazon Fund does not allow the developed countries to use these donations to offset their pollution.

Another story all together are reforestation programs, where carbon is sequestered from the atmosphere during tree growth. However, reforestation often occurs in monoculture timber plantations of exotic, fast growing species such as eucalyptus and pine. While this type of reforestation sequesters carbon from the environment, it provides little value to biodiversity, sometimes in fact proving detrimental, if a primary rainforest is logged and reforested into a timber plantation. Reforestation credits are allowed under the Kyoto Protocol, but few plans have yet to be implemented.

Deforestation and reforestation are important issues for us in Ecuador and at our botanical garden. We would like to see rainforest conservation implemented as a means to reduce emissions from deforestation. Programs such as the Amazon Fund and Ecuador’s Yasuni_–_ITT_initiative, which provide monetary incentives to protect primary rainforest should be supported, although long-term independent monitoring and evaluation are crucial. As Ecuador has gone through half a dozen presidents in the last decade, it is easy to see why many doubt the sustainability of President Correa’s plan. Nevertheless, an understanding of the value of the Amazon is not lost on anyone, and the local popularity of the term “lungs of the world” attests to this fact.

At our botanical garden, we are doing our part to sequester a few tons of carbon: we are in negotiations to acquire and reforest 25 hectares of our neighbors land. After almost 30 years of restoration and every week which passes by with visits from monkeys, sloths, and other mammals, we find that our reserve is just a tiny drop of the habitat needed to protect the biodiversity of the Amazon. We plan to use our restoration expertise to rehabilitate this neighboring terrain of pasture (just as ours once was), grow a forest, and conserve a seed bank of threatened Amazonian plants. To donate money for a few trees or to just inquire about restoration, write to us or visit,

jblorquideas@gmail.com