Paso del Istmo is a 20 kilometer-long land bridge in Nicaragua. Conservationists believe that the narrow strip of tropical forest could absorb some 170,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases over the next 40 years. What’s more, carbon offsets might make these forests worth more as trees than as lumber.
For millennia, the land bridge has been a corridor allowing animal migration between North and South America. It now has some of the most highly concentrated biodiversity in Nicaragua. Conservation group, Paso Pacifico, wishes to permanently protect the land bridge from developers, but where could they find funding to make this dream a reality?
Enter the carbon offset company, CarbonFund. In league with Paso Pacifico and the Rainforest Alliance, carbon offsets offer the funding to make conservation of the Paso del Istmo land bridge a reality; and they’re not stopping at just conservation.
On the Paso del Istmo land bridge, the carbon offsets that you and I buy will help to fund:
- Reforestation: Planting 70 native tree species to restore the wildlife corridor and the integrity of the tropical dry forest.
- Conservation science: Monitoring wildlife species, like the Geoffroyi Spider monkey, with the help of local farmers.
- Ethnography: Forming better a understanding of local thinking on issues of conservation.
- Biodiversity: Bringing back locally extinct species.
- Local economies: Sustaining local economies through eco-tourism programs.
What’s more, the Paso Pacifico program has just been awarded the Gold standard, the highest rating, from the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB).
“By earning the highest rating to the CCB standards, Paso Pacífico and Carbonfund.org have proven this project is designed in a way that will conserve biodiversity and support local communities while mitigating climate change,” said Jeff Hayward, verification services manager at the Rainforest Alliance. “Carbon finance holds great promise in helping restore endangered ecosystems such as Central America’s tropical forests, and the Rainforest Alliance congratulates both organizations on the launch of this ambitious project.”
Get involved with Paso Pacifico.
Get involved with the CarbonFund.
Map: Google maps.
