Help Curb Climate Change
Averting the Climate Change Abyss is a book by Bruce Calhoun that explains how preserving and restoring tropical forests can help curb climate change.
Climate change is expected to get worse in 2023 and beyond. Failing to meet the 2050 climate change deadline could lead to irreversible damage to the planet, including extreme weather events.
Collaboration
In August 2023, Save the Rainforest initiated a collaboration between the Upper Amazon Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society to explore the potential of a High Integrity Forest (HIFOR) project in the Purús Manu Landscape of Peru. This pristine and remote rainforest, despite its significance as a carbon sink, has not received funding from initiatives like REDD+ for deforestation prevention. To address this funding gap, the Wildlife Conservation Society is introducing “removal units,” representing carbon absorption by these untouched forests. While these units won’t offset carbon emissions, buyers can claim they’ve contributed to societal net-zero efforts. The project’s feasibility is being assessed using satellite imagery with support from the Upper Amazon Conservancy. The Purús Manu Landscape encompasses vast, biodiverse, and culturally rich regions in Southeastern Peru, making it one of the last remaining pristine ecosystems on Earth.
Shared Indigenous Knowledge
Save the Rainforest has supported Indigenous communities in Panama and Ecuador for over 30 years through eco-trips. These visits provided income and shared Indigenous knowledge. In 2021, they focused on helping the Siekopai community in Ecuador resist a palm oil company’s advances. They offered an alternative to a palm oil economy with emergency funding and a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) project. This project will reward the Siekopai for forest conservation, enabling them to transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. It’s an example of supporting Indigenous communities, one of over 3,100 in the Amazon. Visit their website for more projects.
The Importance of Protected Areas
In Madagascar, the economic and social importance of protected areas is generally unknown and greatly underestimated by much of the population. This lack of knowledge frequently leads to questions about their usefulness for much-needed economic growth. Should we maintain our protected areas? If so, for what reasons?
This White Paper, a synthesis of the study entitled The Economic Contribution of Madagascar’s Protected Areas – A review of the evidence, provides answers on the importance of protected areas. The study evaluated a selection of the essential services and products provided by nature within Madagascar’s protected areas at the local, national and global levels.