Ecuadorian Rainforest Restoration
Vital Statistics
65,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide
Equivalent to taking 13,048 cars off the road for a year
Project Type: Sequestration
Project Lifetime: 99 years
Starting Date: March 2002
Location: Ecuador
Project Partners:
•Jatun Sacha Foundation
•Conservation International
Project Description
The Climate Trust has contracted to purchase offsets from Conservation International and Jatun Sacha Foundation to reforest more than 680 acres of highly degraded pasture in northwest Ecuador. Native hardwoods will capture 65,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next century and return the site to a mature rainforest. The project is located in one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth and in one of Conservation International's top five conservation targets worldwide. While storing carbon, the reforested land will help support communities and preserve rare plants and animals.
How the project reduces CO2
Less than two percent of Ecuador's coastal rainforest remains. The northwestern forests have suffered deforestation from population growth and a doubling of farm land. Tall grasses prevent native trees from being re-established. Over seven years, 25 native hardwood species will be replanted on the site. This project will restore and protect the land and allow it to grow back to old growth forest. Over the life of the project, this square mile of forest will capture at least 65,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The project site is located in the 7,410-acre Bilsa Biological Reserve. This remnant forest has a unique composition of flora and fauna, internationally renowned for both its diversity and rarity. Rare animals found at the reserve include the jaguar, several small cat species, the long wattled umbrella bird, the giant anteater and abundant populations of the threatened mantled howler monkey. The reserve's bird species diversity (about 330 species) is among the highest of any coastal site in Ecuador. A number of bird species in the Reserve are threatened, and some of the migratory birds that breed in Bilsa spend part of their lives in Oregon forests. The ongoing botanical inventory at Bilsa has uncovered 30 plant species new to science. The Jatun Sacha Foundation conducts field research and education with researchers, students, interns, and tour groups.
Deforestation currently accounts for between 20 and 25 percent of annual human-induced CO2 emissions. Well-designed and implemented land use projects offer a scientifically valid approach to mitigating emissions of CO2.
Non-GHG Benefits
- Reforestation and preservation of the rainforest will help sustain critical plant and endangered species habitat while providing jobs and training
- The project site will offer income opportunities through educational eco-tourism, which will support the Jatun Sacha Foundation's efforts to acquire additional degraded lands for reforestation
- The project creates jobs for the local communities without degrading the forest
Additionality Criteria: Why We’re Involved
With The Climate Trust's funding, the Jatun Sacha Foundation was able to proceed with reforestation and protection of the site in the Bilsa Biological Reserve that would have otherwise remained in peril.
Partners
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