Costa Rica Plants 5
Million Trees
Costa Rica, a leader in
eco-tourism and home to
some of the world's
rarest species, planted
its 5 millionth tree of
2007 on Wednesday as it
tries to put a brake on
global warming.
President Oscar Arias
shoveled dirt onto the
roots of an oak tree
planted in the grounds
of his offices, reaching
the milestone in the
country's efforts to
ward off what some
experts say are the
first signs of climate
change.
By the end of the year,
Costa Rica will have
planted nearly 6.5
million trees, which
should absorb 111,000
tonnes of carbon dioxide
a year, Environment
Minister Roberto Dobles
said.
The country aims to
plant 7 million trees in
2008 as part of the
newly launched program.
Along with other
green-minded nations
like Norway and New
Zealand, Costa Rica is
aiming to reduce its net
carbon emissions to
zero, and has set a
target date of 2021.
"I don't know if we will
end up being carbon
neutral in 2021 as we
have proposed, but the
important thing is the
audacity of the goal and
the work we have to do,"
Arias said.
Costa Rica is a magnet
for ecology-minded
tourists who come to
visit the lush national
parks and reserves that
cover more than a
quarter of the country
and are home to almost 5
percent of the world's
plant and animal species
including exotic birds
and frogs.
Over the last 20 years
forest cover in Costa
Rica has grown from 26
percent of the national
territory to 51 percent,
though environmentalists
complain that loggers
continue to cut down old
trees and that the
national park system is
underfunded.
Costa Rican authorities
have blamed the loss of
more than a dozen
amphibian species,
including the shiny
yellow "golden toad", on
higher temperatures
caused by global
warming.
Experts also say climate
change is behind a spike
in mosquito-borne
diseases such as malaria
and dengue fever at high
elevations where they
were once rare. |
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