Carbon credits in action

I am writing this on the road, from Santa Elena, Costa Rica, where we recentlyvisited the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a vast preserve that protects manydifferent species of plants, animals, fungus and insects.We walked by a sign that indicated that the preservation of this particularforest preserve was funded in part, by carbon credits, funds given the CostaRican government by other governments and businesses to protect lands likethese, that are contributing positively to our carbon balance. It makes mevery curious to learn more about the financial side of how the carbon creditswork.It was good to see with my own eyes the good work that is being done in forestprotection. Our guide pointed out various plants that produce dopamine, usedfor Parkinson's disease, another one that was being explored for its benefitsin the AIDS virus, and a bee that produced honey that was supposed to be verygood for healing the eyes.

I asked if there were local herbalists who collected the knowledge about the plants and provided herbs to area customers. Our guides opinion was that the grandmothers had that knowledge, but now theypreferred to live easier lives. You can look at the forest as being a vast storehouse of knowledge, precious notonly for the carbon it is secuestering but for the healing properties that havenot been discovered. The forest is also intrinsically interesting for its beauty and diversity, the color and variety that is diminishing in most of theenvironments that surround us in the USA.

The roads that have taken us between various locations in Costa Rica range from good to horrible. One lodge owner said he hoped they would stay that way; good roads attract all the wrong kind of development. There is also an undercurrentof worry about tourism, the number one industry in Costa Rica. Since 9-11,tourism has been dropping. It is clearly a business that has its advantagesand disadvantages. The beautiful places in the world are being loved todeath--love expressed in the form of development. It is good to see theseissues being grappled with by a number of enlightened local lodging owners, whotake pains to use sustainable practices and educate their customers about thebeauty of this area.