Costa Rica Named First
BioGem Country by NRDC
(InfoWebPress) – For the first time, the Natural Resource Defense
Council (NRDC) has designated a country as a BioGem, Costa Rica, as
a recognition of its efforts to become the world’s first
carbon-neutral nation.
"These BioGems are some of the last wild and unspoiled places left
in the Western Hemisphere,” said Robert Kennedy, Jr., senior
attorney at NRDC. “By naming these places as BioGems, NRDC is
empowering hundreds of thousands of concerned individuals to take
effective action to save these natural treasures for generations to
come."
Since 2001, NRDC has campaigned to save more than 30 special natural
places that offer sanctuary for endangered wildlife, curb global
warming and provide livelihoods for local communities. NRDC
redesigned its “Save BioGems” Web site with new features in order to
more effectively mobilize online activists to protect these areas.
In Costa Rica, NRDC is working with the Energy and Environment
Ministry to identify measures to help the country meet its
commitment of becoming the world's first carbon-neutral nation by
2021.
Additionally, NRDC also just signed an agreement with the Costa
Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) on energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects. In partnership with one of Latin America’s leading
ecological facilities — the Tropical Agricultural Research and
Higher Education Center (CATIE), located in Costa Rica — NRDC has
launched a rainforest rejuvenation project to plant 30,000 trees to
restore a natural rainforest. These actions will help Costa Rica
reaffirm its position as a global environmental leader and reduce
pressure on its biodiversity and other natural areas.
In addition to Costa Rica, other BioGems added to the list include
the Carrizo Plain National Monument in central California and the
Peace-Athabasca Delta in Alberta, Canada, which are in danger
because of oil and gas exploration.
“We have a new opportunity under the Obama administration to protect
and save a number of our BioGems,” said Jacob Scherr, co-director of
NRDC’s BioGems Initiative. “Places like the Tongass National Forest,
Utah’s Redrock Wilderness, and wildlife like the polar bear remain
in danger after eight years of reckless policies.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
