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Forest Protection Plays a Vital Role in our Natural and Economic Future

By Shelly Lakly, Ph.D.,
State Director for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia

ATLANTA — June 19, 2008 — While the U.S. House of Representatives deliberates the merits of a climate change bill for the first time in its history, The Nature Conservancy is conducting a series of forums around the country, bringing together conservation, energy, and corporate interests to explore forest protection as an economically sound solution to reducing the amount of climate-changing carbon released into the atmosphere.

The most recent forum was held this month at Georgia Power’s headquarters in Atlanta. Leaders from Georgia Power, Interface Inc., American Electric Power, John Deere and many other businesses discussed how corporations could cost-effectively meet proposed limits in industrial emissions by supporting programs that reduce emissions from forest destruction.

Each year, about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the destruction of forests, more than from all the planes, trains and automobiles in the world. Yet we continue to destroy our world’s forests at an alarming rate, a total of 37 million acres each year, or an area roughly the size of Georgia.

There is no denying that our climate is changing. Regardless of what portion is human-caused or what portion is natural, we should all be working to resolve this global issue. While much of the debate on stopping climate change has focused on curbing emissions from industry and transportation, forest protection is one of the most powerful and cost-effective solutions we can do right now to reduce global carbon emissions.

The proof is in the science.

Bolivia is home to the first conservation program in the world scientifically proven to lower carbon emissions and fight climate change by protecting standing forests. In 1997, The Nature Conservancy joined forces with the Bolivian government, local conservationists and three international energy companies to buy out logging concessions threatening to destroy 1.5 million acres of tropic forest, a vital wildlife habitat and a source of livelihood for the local communities.

The forests were incorporated into the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, stopping the release of more than one million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. During the next 20 years, the project is expected to prevent the emission of 5.8 million tons of carbon, the equivalent of removing more than one million cars from America’s highways for an entire year.

Investing in the protection of forests is not just good for the environment, but could be good for the U.S. economy as well. Forest projects like the Conservancy’s in Bolivia have the potential to generate valuable credits from the carbon stored in the preserved trees. Those credits could achieve the same carbon emission reductions as other approaches like installing new technologies or retrofitting power plants, but in many cases at a fraction of the cost.

Right now, U.S. businesses have a unique chance to take the lead in fighting a significant part of the climate change problem without putting the burden on American consumers. I emphasize “right now,” because given the alarming rate of global deforestation, this particular opportunity will not be available forever. We cannot afford to let it slip away.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.