Save the Amazon Project

Carbon Currency Foundation Project

The Carbon Currency Foundation 's project "Save the Amazon" aims  to preserve the most important rain forest of the planet and perhaps the most threatened by the colonization for agriculture and breeding purposes. The idea we support is that rainforests are worth much more left standing, both for the planet and for local communities. "Our approach is simple: to buy land that would otherwise be sold to loggers and ranchers and to price deforestation out of the market.  It's not easy to maintain intact the tropical forests, because the problem is that they are situated on some of the largest areas remaining on the earth, adapted for the development of cultivation and pasture" declared Walter Boudaghian, main project manager .

According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) all the territory assigned to the  cultivation for the United States  could enter the central plain of South America and the northern part of the Amazonian forest. The high prices for oil have supported the substitution of tropical forests with grain and sugar cane fields.The more promising source for promoting a new series of cleaning machinery is represented by the Brazilian Sugar Cane, which productivity has grown and is moving the Soya fields in the Amazonian. The colonization without control is the greatest danger for the rain forest. To reduce the tropical deforestation, for decades it is spoken. In spite of the enormous efforts, it turns out to have been in the greater part inferior to the expectations, both for the extreme complexity of the problem and for the inadequacy of some of the proposed solutions. What today is giving new hopes, and which is  the key element of a new approach in order to fight the deforestation? Substantially, money. Simplifying: why should the underdeveloped nations  have to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas due to the deforestation, when the problem of the climatic changes has been in widest part caused from the countries industrialized? If we want to preserve the tropical forests because they’re rich of carbon (apart from the biodiversity), it is necessary to offer economic incentives in order not to cut them. The “Environmental Value"  of the forests can finally exit the academy and enter the market exchange: as today it already exists in Europe a market of the CO2 (the Emission Trading Scheme, that at the moment does not include the forest field), in a tomorrow not too far away it could be possible to assign a real economic value to carbon contained in the tropical forests. In the same way - and this is the centre of the proposal - it will be possible to compensate also the “avoided deforestation” economically. At the end this compensation could potentially represent an incentive for reducing the deforestation.With the project Save the Amazon, the Carbon Currency Foundation promises to acquire, with the funds of the donations, widths of areas of the Amazonian forest today in the hands of large estate owners, and transform it in Areas of Preservation Permanently Registered.  These areas cannot be ever again used for agriculture means or for breeding and will be controlled by a satellite system so to guarantee its integrity.To fight the tropical deforestation, beyond  the obvious benefit for the climate, would also bring other potentially important advantages, like the protection of the biodiversity and, potentially, the promotion of a use more sustainable of the natural resources. With the program “Save the Amazon”, privates and enterprises will be able to participate to the preservation of the forest with donations “for hectare”. Every hectare of Amazonian forest retains 15 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The governments of the industrialized Countries are currently paying 20 Euro for each ton of carbon (carbon credit) and it is estimated  that in the 2012 the price shall be of 35 Euro for ton. Great part of the scientific world promotes also and above all credits for the preservation. Among the possible options, “clean development mechanism” or CDM push also on “sequestration” of carbon, through political reforestation or reduction of the processes of deforestation already previewed. The theory of this choice is that it is not important where the emissions happen, also because these do not have borders. Therefore, in the same way, it is not important where they come reduced. Then, is it better to plant trees to reduce the emissions than to use new technologies? Some studies estimate that 15 per cent of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions could in fact be pulled down simply resorting to “sustainable foresty practices”, Anglo-Saxon expression that synthesizes a concept more difficult to express equally in Italian.Actually it is about politics of management of the forests inspired by sustainability criteria. Also in this case, as more in general terms for the sale of “carbon credit”,  the practical seems to have clearly passed the theory and what seems only a vision for science-fiction is in reality a matter of fact for numerous multinationals. Put aside by  the mass media, there are in fact already numerous contracts of  “green in exchange for carbon dioxide”. Last year in August the recovery of a portion of the rain forest in Brazil had made a great noise for the  decision of General Motors to finance it with a check of 10 million dollars. “Only an altruism gesture? - the Newsweek periodical  asked in its editorial.  - Yes and no, seen that national and international government organisations, could reward this gesture with the issue of credits for the carbon dioxide, that  those trees will absorb in next the forty years". It is only the first step towards a political "sequestration" for the "carbon dioxide", was then declared by the managers of the GM. At last, in order to reduce 14,5 million tons of emissions caused from its 180 MW of thermoelectrically systems, the AES, Society of production with centre in the Hawaii, has tightened an agreement with Paraguay for a tropical area of forest for 60 thousand hectares. The total  investment of 3.8 million dollars bring to a total cost of the operation for the  AES of 0.14 dollars per ton of carbon dioxide for the next 35 years. Also in this case the transaction seems to end well. And not only for the environment.

For Save the Amazon project, donations will be for hectare. The funds  collected will be used to acquire new plots of rain forest, subtracting them to agriculture and breeding.

The donors will receive: 1. A certificate that attests the property of the rights  for 1 hectare of Amazonian forest with the coordinates of GPS of the land. 2. A title of possession of the land for environment preservation’s purposes, through an enrolled notarial Public Writing in the registry of Titles and Documents of the municipality  in which the land is set. Note: the Carbon Currency Foundation will maintain the property of the area so  to guarantee the inviolability of the Natural Reserve.

Which are the benefits for the donors: 1. To actively participate the preservation of the most important existing Rain Forest, considered the lung of the world.2. Deductible donations from taxes 3. A title of  possession of the land for environment preservation’s purposes that permits to cash eventual Carbon Currency Credits for the preservation (currently the European Community pays 300 Euro per year for each hectare reforested):  selling or transferring the titles,  realizing  self-sustainable plans in collaboration with the inhabitants of the region (the plans must be approved by the Brazilian authorities and the foundation will coordinate the participations) such as: turtles breeding, fish breeding, collection of medicinal plants, researches, fishing sports, eco -tourism, habitat  ecologically correct, etc. 4/ Use of the logo of the Foundation in publicity, Internet sites, etc..

The Save the Amazon project stated thanks the donation of 106 hectares in the Boca do Mamoria, Municipality of Canutama, Amazon State (Brazil) by Offshore World Inc. www.offshoreworld.org   

The Contribution Requested is:   Euro 1,000.00 for hectare

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Location of the first fase of the Project in the Boca of Mamoria (click here to enlarge the immage).