Good News About the Rainforests in Costa Rica

[Jim Eubanks (Shi Yong Xiang)]

In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to mention something related to the
environment, and fortunately I found out some good news about the
state of the rainforests in Costa Rica. While it is still an
unfortunate reality that the world's rainforests are in peril, Costa
Rica has taken the initiative to not only reverse trends of
deforestation, but become the world's first carbon neutral country by
2021. What lead to this and can it be extended on a larger scale?

Costa Rica, like so many tropical countries, engaged in practices that
devastated its natural habitats. By 1983, only 26% of Costa Rica's
rainforests remained. However, legislation to recognize national
parks, bans on deforestation, initiatives to plant trees and cash
incentives to protect forests (see "The Rainforest Site" for an
example) has lead to a dramatic rise in rainforest coverage: up to 52%
by 2005. It is the greatest success story yet. The wonderful thing
about rainforests is the amount of carbon they absorb, so the better
they do, the better our precarious global climate situation does.

There is a new plan, "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and
Degradation" (REDD) that hopes to be ready by a 2009 Copenhagen
climate conference. REDD is an international initiative that hopes to
use similar tactics to those used by Costa Rica to not just curb
deforestation, but reverse it altogether.

This development of REDD is very important for our world, and speaks
to a basic Buddhist idea that change is never too late if we engage in
thoughtful action with mindful intent. Though we have collectively
destroyed so much of our world over the past century in our
recklessness, today's dire situation demands our full attention. The
example Costa Rica provides is deeply inspiring for those of us who
hope for a beautiful future, rainforests and all.