Rainforest Alliance

This project seeks to reforest degraded lands by designing a commercially-viable forestry operation using the plant species Paulowni, also known as “princess tree” or “empress tree”, in an area of the Bayano River basin that is severely deforested and has impoverished soils due to the effects of subsistence agriculture and cattle ranching. The aims to project provide an alternative to destructive land-use activities like cattle-farming by establishing a sustainable forestry practice in which logging occurs in cycles to ensure that carbon stocks are well maintained. Planting and growing Paulowni will improve the ecosystem’s capacity for carbon dioxide sequestration, reduce soil erosion and create habitats and migration corridors for wildlife species occupying the basin, such as the red-footed tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria) and various migratory bird species. It is anticipated that the project will sequester 3,724,271.41 tCO₂e over a 40 year period.