[Az_mws] Reforestation in Colombia for drinking water etc.

[Cathy Mullan]

Article copied from:
http://www.zeri.org/index.cfm?id=projectGaviotas

story has photos as well...

  Reforestation: Las Gaviotas, Colombia

Imagine miles and miles of desolate savannah in Eastern Colombia, 
without a tree or bird or child in sight, a veritable no-man's land. 
For Paolo Lugari this was the perfect place to implement a vision: if a 
sustainable community could be created in such adverse environmental, 
social and political conditions, it could be done anywhere on the 
planet. Las Gaviotas has done just that, and much more.

  In 1992, in conjunction with the Kyoto Protocol and the Japanese 
government, the Environmental Research Center at Las Gaviotas began 
substantiating the concept of carbon sinks to sequester carbon dioxide 
and stabilize the climate. Based on the cash generated by its renewable 
energy project, complemented with funding secured through the Japanese 
government, Las Gaviotas, founded and directed by Paolo Lugari, planted 
8,000 HA of Caribbean pine trees in a savannah that had been 
unproductive for centuries. It was considered impossible to plant trees 
in such acidic, inhospitable soil (pH 4) but thanks to the innovative 
use of mycorrhizal fungi which acts as the saliva for the tree, the 
forestation was successful. More than just successful, this initiative 
to initiate economic activities and to validate carbon sinks unleashed 
a chain reaction of positive effects that surprised even the initiators 
of the program...

Today, more than a decade later, the forestation of 8,000 HA has 
resulted in 10 percent more precipitation (some 110,000 m3 per day), 
converting Las Gaviotas into a net supplier of drinking water, a 
crystalline water of superior quality. With the cost of drinking water 
exceeding the cost of petroleum, Las Gaviotas demonstrated that 
reforestation allows us to address one of the most critical issues the 
world is facing: access to natural potable water!

  The planting of the Caribbean pine tree provides another economic 
impulse. The 7 to 14 grams of resin a day produced by the tree is 
locally converted to colofonia, a raw material for the paint and paper 
industry. The tapping and the processing of the resin brings industrial 
activities, and the generation of value-added to the region.

The pine tree plantation will be complemented with the development of 
some 300 hectares of palm trees. This additional forest provides a 
permanent supply of vegetable oil, which is rather easily converted 
into biodiesel. This local energy source eliminates the dependence on 
imported diesel fuel to power trucks and tractors. The first biodiesel 
plant with a capacity of 1 million gallons per year is already 
operational at the Center in Bogota.

  Las Gaviotas is now a self-sustaining community of around 200 
full-time workers, independent of donor money. It has become a center 
of creativity, where innovations are driven by the meticulous 
observation of natural phenomena, and the self-confidence in the search 
for local solutions for local problems.

  These initial 8,000 HA at Las Gaviotas demonstrate that the monies 
generated through the provision of renewable energy systems and the 
additional funding provided under the Kyoto Protocol can become the 
catalyst for development that goes far beyond the expectation of simply 
creating a carbon sink to stabilize climatic changes. This example 
indicates the necessary shift from a singular target with a unique 
budget and financing to a multiple target addressing a wide variety of 
agendas simultaneously with integrated programs that have several 
financing opportunities. This integrative approach speaks for itself by 
being self-sustaining and self-financing thanks to the generation of 
multiple value-added products.

  The next step is to expand this program beyond the initial 8,000 HA to 
reforest the 6.3 million HA of savannah that surrounds Las Gaviotas. 
This is twice the size of Belgium. On July 6, 2004, the President of 
Colombia agreed to this expansion, handing over the first 45,000 HA in 
November 2004 to begin implementation over a period of 25 years. This 
initiative will cost approximately US $6 billion. The Colombia 
government has struggled to keep its international borrowing under 
control, creating a less-than-perfect credit rating. Thus, Colombia is 
not in a position to commit 6 billion dollars to a development 
strategy. However, it turns out there is no need to do so...

  But where will the funding come from for such a bold endeavor? In 
addition to support from the Kyoto Protocol, it will come from creative 
financial engineering driven by the portfolio of value-added revenue 
streams created by an integrated and systemic agenda! The economic 
power of drinking water (thanks to the forest), hydroponic food crops 
(thanks to the abundance water), and biodiesel (from the forest) 
provide a positive picture for the country of Colombia, potentially 
creating 120,000 new jobs, secure a local source of drinking water, 
eliminate the need to import diesel fuel AND reduce national foreign 
debt! This is a remarkable portfolio of opportunities for a region 
considered to be the "center of nowhere."

  Colombia's project coordinators will partner with the banks already 
carrying the Colombian government debt. The banks will substitute the 
debt of Colombia with a corporation paying for carbon dioxide emissions 
rights. For example, US$1 billion of the Colombian debt is replaced by 
the takeover of the guarantee offered by multinational corporations 
committed to purchase products from the forest over the next 25 years, 
and to pay carbon emission rights. This is called a guarantee swap. 
Part of the money needed to jump start the development in Colombia 
could be paid by the Colombian government in pesos, while it reduces 
its debt in dollars. Everybody wins. However, a broad assistance is 
needed to start multiple projects.

  The Las Gaviotas reforestation project is not only about planting 
trees for climate stabilization; it is, primarily, about catalyzing a 
development program that will pave the way for creating a sustainable 
future for our children where society is able to provide for the basic 
needs of all in terms of water, food, health care, shelter, energy, 
jobs and education with local resources. Las Gaviotas is poised to do 
nothing less than reshape the face of sustainable development and, 
consequently, the world.

  For more information about this case study, visit the article "The 
Renaissance of the Rainforest" by Gunter Pauli.
©Copyright 2004, ZERI.org.   All Rights Reserved.
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