Maxine Member Since: February 10, 2009

Projects Supported in 2009

1. Scolel Te Forests, Mexico

   

   Meaning "the tree that grows", Scolel Te enables over 2000 families of indigenous Mayan and mestizo farmers in Southern Mexico to make a modest income by preserving local forests, and find sources of income which allow them to sustainably use their land. The farmers are establishing tree plantations on land previously used as pasture, growing timber and fruit interspersed with corn and coffee crops, and restoring degraded forest land to return it to a healthy habitat for wildlife and a valuable watershed to prevent erosion.

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2. Costa Rican Rainforests

   

   Through a nonprofit called FUNDECOR, nearly 100 square miles in the central volcanic mountain range of Costa Rica are being set aside for forest preservation. The project is part of a country-wide program stopping the destruction of the Costa Rican rain forest which has thus far recaptured 26 percent of the country's land-mass-to-forest cover, sequestering millions of tons of carbon. Most of these humid tropical rainforests are old-growth, or mature second-growth, and noted for their extreme diversity of species. Besides fighting global warming, the forests preserve priceless biodiversity, protect local aquifers and watersheds, and mitigate erosion.

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3. Trees for Global Benefit, Uganda

   

   Trees for Global Benefit in Uganda brings opportunity for farmers and small-scale land holders to use their land in a sustainable but profitable manner by creating sustainable forestry and protecting the land for reforestation. Farmer income and technical training offered through the project allows the farmers to protect the land and pursue sustainable agriculture options rather than clear it for intensive farming. The project also encourages biodiversity preservation. Serving as a buffer zone around the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve and several neighboring forest preserves. It protects an extensive equatorial riverine forest, best noted for the resident chimpanzees and an incredibly diverse population of birds, mammals and butterflies.

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