Carbon Offset Schemes

Investment in Teak

Teak Plantations

forests? Maybe it is time for Governments to show the way and provide incentives and safeguards to people seeking to take advantage of an excellent investment opportunity and do a little to help the world as well. Most tropical areas are found in regions not favoured with cast iron property protection laws and investors tend to shy away from putting their money into countries with populist regimes and a general disregard to foreign-owned property. However, there are democratic states that are willing to safeguard foreign investment, Costa Rica is an example, although, as a small country without great tracts of deforestation, this is not the ideal for schemes on this scale - one needs to think in terms of millions of hectares.

There are many areas that are ideal for the purpose, the Petén region of Guatemala especially: there a large areas that have been totally deforested and are available for plantation; local laws favour this type of enterprise – there are even grants available for reforestation; logging is controlled and strict international FSC regulations are in place around the Maya Biosphere Reserve; local expertise is readily available and strict controls ensure transparent development.

An initial investment of one million pounds can provide the land and cover the cost of planting  a nursery of 1,000,000 trees. Selling trees from £10 to £25 to investors would provide money to cover costs and expansion.   An “outgrower” system, involving smallholder farmers, would provide the basis for a plan to cover many hundreds of thousands of hectares providing the means of sequestering large quantities of carbon emissions and regenerate lost forest. Farmers would grow trees under contract to the main operation.

Current prices for carbon offsetting do not benefit “avoided deforestation” schemes, although changes are afoot. If a higher value was placed on reforestation and a payment per tree planted and maintained, who knows how many farmers would subscribe to this scheme. According to the Carbon Neutral Company, five trees in Europe will sequester a ton of CO²; one tree would probably do the job in tropical climates as growth rates are much higher and accompanying vegetation denser.

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