www.CREA-Panama.org
part of
NakedPlanet magazine
1
Special thanks to: CREA www.cocobolonaturereserve.org www.CREA-Panama.org
Part of
Trees
Issue 2
ŠNaked Planet magazine 4 Caldwell Street Loughborough LE11 3BB Please write to us if you have an enquiries hello@purrfect-designs.com Designed, edited and illustrated byPurr-designs Art Director Natasha Abramovich Visit our website for more information www.purrfect-designs.com
2
To learn more about CREA, visit our main website: www.CREA-Panama.org
ba CREA is a not for profit organization, registered in the US, UK and Panama, that is dedicated to the conservation of our natural environment by conducting innovative research, increasing ecological literacy and halting unsustainable natural resource use.
ba
3
In 2006 CREA, a non profit organization, stepped in when a 1000 acre forest in Panama was about to be sold to cattle ranchers. CREA found a donor to buy this forest in order to protect its abundant forest, water reserves and biodiversity. in 2007 CREA incorporated this forest as a nationally registered private nature reserve called COCOBOLO NATURE RESERVE.
In order to maintain and protect this reserve CREA is reaching out. We invite you to become a Rainforest Guardian of this reserve and to help us protect it from illegal hunting, logging and burning. You can become a Rainforest Guardian of this rainforest for a minimum donation of $39 for one year.
4
When you become a Rainforest Guardian of 1 acre of the Cocobolo Rainforests, you... * ensure that 100 tons of CO2 is not released into the air * protect hundreds of species of plants and animals, many rare or endangered * preserve our precious natural heritage from being burned or illegally hunted * support CREA in its farmer training program
When you become a Rainforest Guardian you receive... * a beautiful certificate with your name and a description of your rainforest * membership into the online gallery of rainforest guardians (publishing is optional) * a newsletter updating you about the Cocobolo Nature Reserve rainforests
5
* Trains subsistence farmers to use sustainable farming techniques in order to combat the cycle of poverty and environmental degradation of tropical rainforests * Provides environmental education on tropical rainforests for schoolchildren and academic courses for undergraduates * Undertakes research on the effects of human impacts on tropical rainforests and how to solve environmental problems * Protects critical tropical rainforest areas for biodiversity conservation
6
CREA is undertaking a host of different projects that aid us in our understanding of ecosystem function and the threats that these ecosystems face. It allows us to monitor and protect them more efficiently and also allows us to prioritize our efforts. CREA undertakes some of these projects together with University and/or funding agency partners, while others are publicly supported through donations. Please contact us for further information on any project you find of interest.
7
ba 20% of all CO2 released comes from forest burning for agricultural expansion, more than all global transportation combined
ba Tropical rainforests cover a mere 6% of the Earth’s land surface yet harbour over 50% of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. Tropical rainforests are a place of enchantment and represent the splendour and potential of life on our unique planetary home.
Besides being a place of incredible beauty and wonder, tropical rainforests are also important to us. Of the 3000 plants identified by the National Cancer Institute as a source of cancer fighting chemicals, 2100 are from the world’s tropical rainforests. Less than 1% of the estimated 125,000 flowering plant species of tropical rainforests have been examined for their medicinal properties. This is but one example of the richness that exists within rainforests.
8
However, about 50 million acres (approximately the size of Great Britain) of tropical rainforests are destroyed each year. Much of this deforestation occurs through slash and burn agriculture by subsistence farmers who lack knowledge of sustainable alternatives. The effects of global warming through slash and burn are enormous. It is responsible for 20% of the total global emissions of CO2 into our atmosphere each year. To halt further effects of global warming we must implement climate change mitigation through reforestation programs and insist on the full protection of remaining tropical rainforests. Tropical deforestation also leads directly to the extinction of several thousands of animal and plant species every year and causes changes to global water cycles.
9
Tropical rainforests are the richest ecosystem on our planet and are an essential element to the planet’s life support machine. In 3 acres of tropical rainforest one can find up to 300 species of trees as opposed to up to 10 in a temperate forest. Panama has over 3000 species of trees in the rainforests of the Panama Canal alone. Nearly 80% of the Earth’s animal species are from tropical rainforests. It is estimated that each tree in the rainforest could harbor over 400 unique species of insects found nowhere else on earth, such is the immense diversity of tropical rainforests. Tropical rainforests store approximately 46% of the worlds living carbon and 11% of all soil carbon. The loss of tropical rainforests is more than just the
Rainforests
loss of trees, it is the removal of a critical element necessary for our survival. Eighty percent of the nutrients in tropical rainforests are in the vegetation and not in the soil. This means that the soils are nutrient-poor and become eroded and unproductive within a few years after rainforests are cleared. The uneven distribution of wealth and land is one major factor in the destruction of tropical rainforests. Over one billion people worldwide depend directly on tropical rainforests. Many of them exist in absolute poverty.
This is causing further destruction of rainforests through the inefficient and unsustainable use of their resources through lack of knowledge. Unfortunately the pressure on tropical rainforests is not decreasing but increasing and it is estimated that within a few decades no large expanse of tropical rainforests will exist.
10
Cocobolo Nature Reserve covers over 1000 acres of primary and secondary lowland rainforest and harbors endangered wildlife such as ocelots, margays, crested curassows and harlequin frogs to name a few. Within the reserve are important headwaters of the Mamoni river. The reserve is located at the narrowest stretch of Mesoamerica, and thus represents a vital piece of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, an ambitious project that aims to preserve a network of conservation regions extending from Mexico to Colombia.
11
Unsustainable use of land for farming is forcing farmers to push further into unprotected forests of the region. Within Cocobolo Nature Reserve is CREA’s field school where school groups and local communities participate in educational activities. In one area of the reserve CREA has set up an agricultural demonstration farm that shows ways in which agriculture can comply with local ecological systems. The purpose of Cocobolo Nature Reserve is to primarily protect habitat for biodiversity while aiding local communities to develop local solutions for specific agricultural practices that increase wildlife habitat, food production and protect remaining forests simultaneously.
Cocobolo Nature Reserve covers over 1000 acres of primary and secondary lowland rainforest and harbors endangered wildlife such as ocelots, margays, crested curassows and harlequin frogs to name a few. Within the reserve are important headwaters of the Mamoni river. The reserve is located at the narrowest stretch of Mesoamerica, and thus represents a vital piece of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, an ambitious project that aims to preserve a network of conservation regions extending from Mexico to Colombia.
Unsustainable use of land for farming is forcing farmers to push further into unprotected forests of the region. Within Cocobolo Nature Reserve is CREA’s field school where school groups and local communities participate in educational activities. In one area of the reserve CREA has set up an agricultural demonstration farm that shows ways in which agriculture can comply with local ecological systems. The purpose of Cocobolo Nature Reserve is to primarily protect habitat for biodiversity while aiding local communities to develop local solutions for specific agricultural practices that increase wildlife habitat, food production and protect remaining forests simultaneously.
12
The majority of the 1 million (37%) poor in Panama are rural subsistence farmers who are the most affected by unsustainable land use practices. The poor are forced to occupy cheap, often hilly, marginal areas and it is here where one finds the greatest poverty and the greatest ongoing loss of biodiversity. Poor farmers use slash and burn or “swidden” agriculture where forest is first cut and burned, then crops are sown for only one or two years before the soil becomes exhausted forcing the farmers to move on to another patch of forest. It is in these “conservation frontline” areas where the rural poor need knowledge of how best to survive within their environmental means, so that they do not inflict further environmental damage thereby reducing the ability of their children to break the poverty cycle. Such information, often very basic, is lacking in these communities where old, unsuitable traditions are used simply from lack of any alternatives. Alternative sustainable practices exist and have been used globally, with success.
13
CREA promotes conservation at several levels. Our core initiative is to work with farmers to better their lives while ensuring the conservation of the natural resources and services that surround their communities. We do this through agricultural education that allows them to farm more efficiently and productively and through action initiatives that include providing them access to markets so that they can embed themselves into the local or national economy. Also on this page we wish to give you a sample of some of the actions CREA is taking and the stand that it is taking on several issues and how you can get involved.
14
CREA is dedicated to the cause of educating these poor rural communities for the ultimate protection of Panama’s rainforests which are being cut and burned at an unprecedented rate.
CREA is training poor farming communities in alternative methods of farming that do not require continuous moving and cutting. Using various crop mixtures, soil conservation measures and adding organic fertiliser can increase the life of a single patch of cut forest by 25 times.
An important part of farmer training is making the information disseminated to a few farmers benefecial for all in the community. In other words how do we make our actions multiply themselves? We do this by training farmers how to train other farmers. We teach them skills in communication and demonstration. We supply them with teaching materials to use in their training. By doing this we leave information within the communities
15
Over 125,000 acres of tropical forest are being destroyed in Panama each year. A large amount is destroyed and burned by small scale farmers for their survival but are doing it because they know no other techniques for farming. 100 tons of carbon is released for each acre burned, contributing significantly to global warming. Indeed 20% of all greenhouse gases are emitted because of land use change (ie conversion of forests to agriculture) around the world.
By donating to causes like ours we will be able to invest resources in order to train farmers to become more sustainable, living and working within the capacity of their environment, which means no more cutting of forests. We are also training farmers in sustainable livelihoods that can provide families with a greater income while having less impact on natural resources.
16
to NakedPlanet mag.- will help you to be up to date and be involved with world problems and issues. You will find the magaiznefull of interesting articles and profiles of CREA alike companies, that work hard to make difference. Find the subscription pack included in the magazine.
17
to CREA You can write to local and national representatives of your country to make them aware of the lack of environmental safeguards currently being executed in Panama. You can advise them to oppose your country’s trade with Panama’s gold or copper. You can stop buying gold and reduce as much as possible your personal consumption of mined metals. You can sell your shares of Petaquilla and parent companies or make sure that you have no investments that include this public company (listed in the Germany, Canada, and Australia). You can also communicate with the companies themselves:
18
ba Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (OTC: PTQMF) Suite 410 - 475 W. Georgia St. Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 4M8, Canada Phone: 604-694-0021 Fax: 604-694-0063 Toll Free: 877-694-0021 Inmet Mining Corporation (OTC: IEMMF) 330 Bay St., Ste. 1000 Toronto, Ontario M5H 2S8, Canada Phone: 416-361-6400 Fax: 416-368-4692 http://www.inmetmining.com 200 Burrard St., Ste. 600 Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3L9, Canada Phone: 604-687-1117 Fax: 604-687-6100 Primary US Office: http://www.teckcominco.com
ba 19
ba
Please help us protect the Cocobolo Nature Reserve by filling the form on the card attached and guarding an acre of rainforests.
ba 20
Designed by purr-d. www.purrfect-designs.com CREA PO Box 0843-02479 Ancon Panama