LOCATION
Chiriquí, Veraguas, and Darien Provinces, Panama
PROJECT TYPE
Reforestation and Forest Conservation
TOTAL SIZE
7,000 acres
STANDARD
Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) and CarbonFix Standard (CarbonFix has since been acquired by the Gold Standard).
VERIFICATION/VALIDATION
SCS Global Services and Rainforest Alliance
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
- Mitigate impacts of climate change
- Restore rainforest and critical habitat
- Enrich local biodiversity
- Reduce erosion and improve soil quality
- Protect downstream watersheds
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
- Reverse trend of rural-to-urban migration
- Local full-time job creation
- Training opportunities for project management and fire prevention
- Access to health and literacy programs
The Restoring a Lost Rainforest Project is continuing to meet its ambitious goal of reforesting nearly 25,000 acres of abandoned cattle pastures alongside the Pacific Coast of Panama. The Project has used over 50 different native tree species. Since 2005, more than 7,000 acres have been planted with more than 1.9 million trees. In addition, nearly 500 acres are being conserved and approximately 60 full-time jobs have been created due to the Project.
The Project has also reestablished critical wildlife habitat with recent sightings of ocelots and Central American spider monkeys. Additional ecosystem services provided by the project include: reduced erosion and improved top soil quality; protection of downstream watersheds, including a coastal mangrove forest which helps to reduce the impact of tropical storms.
Local community benefits include reversing the trend of rural-to-urban migration, providing alternative income for local communities, and training opportunities for nursery operations, project management, fire prevention, along with health and literacy programs.
