Dead planet, living planet

CASE STUDY #17

Restoration of abandoned plantations, Proyecto Naturaleza y Comunidad, Costa Rica

to La Selva Biological Station (3,900 acres), an ecological research station owned by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS).

The Nogal-La Selva local Biological Corridor (NSBC) is located in Sarapiquí, in the northern Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica, Cen- tral America. The NSBC is an effort which intends to connect for- est fragments from the Nogal Private Wildlife Refuge (252 acres), a natural private reserve owned by Chiquita Brands International,

Project and photos credit: Chiquita Brands International/GTZ/MIGROS/ Rainforest Alliance

1,270–14,570 USD/ha/year, or 22–25% lower for convention- al farms. Non-market values were 460–5,240 USD/ha/year for organic farmland compared to only 50–1,240 USD/ha/ year for conventional (Sandhu et al ., 2008). Restore water supply and reduce effects of extreme flows in- cluding droughts and floods by restoring natural pathways, riverine and catchment vegetation and wetlands. Reduce evapotranspiration, improve weed control and in- crease soil fertility and biological life in soils through more organic based production systems, including, where appro- priate, perennials (Vieria et al ., 2009; UNEP, 2009). Reduce sedentary and intensified grazing systems and pro- mote grazing diversity to reduce overgrazing and depletion of range diversity which increases probability of invasive spe- cies infestations.

•

Develop alternatives to the use of cereals in animal feed by recycling of waste or new technology to reduce the effect that near 1/3 of all cereals are used for animal feed, rising to near 50% by 2050, thus reducing the pressures on cropland ex- pansion – both locally into natural edges, as well as into pris- tine habitats (UNEP, 2009). Changing the meat consumption habits and developing an al- ternative to the use of cereals in animal feed is actually a pre- requisite necessary for restoring much lost raindforest and wetlands cleared and drained to support cattle production. This demonstrates once again that in restoration one must not only address the restoration of the ecosystem at hand, but also ad- dress the socio-economic driving forces that led to degradation in the first place.

•

•

•

52