Fundecor - Fundación para el Desarrolio de la Cordillera Volcánica Central

"The earth is not ours. It is a treasure we hold for future generations."
African proverb quoted by the United Nations Secretary General on 3 April 2001.

Biological diversity, or biodiversity as it is commonly known, represents the very foundation of human existence, the totality of life known on earth. Biodiversity plays a critical role in meeting human needs while maintaining the ecological processes upon which human survival depends. Ever-responding to natural forces and human activities, the Earth's biodiversity is in a constant state of flux.

Tropical forests are the main supporters of the world's biodiversity. It is thought that close to 70% of known and unknown species live in tropical forests. The loss of tropical forests constitutes one of the most serious threats to biodiversity on earth. The magnitude of deforestation cannot be understated: between 1990 and 1995 the loss of tropical forests amounted to over 200,000 sq. km. worldwide. Because deforestation is the result of human activity, no easy solutions exist.

FUNDECOR is a non-governmental organization, established in 1989 through international cooperation on reducing deforestation in the Costa Rican Central Volcanic Range. At that time, the rate of deforestation was 7% per year, halving the region's natural forest in less than 10 years. Sustaining these forests was a national priority because:

• this area is home to 50% of Costa Rica's biodiversity;
  
• it supplies the water resources for human consumption and energy production for more than 50% of the country's population; and
  
• non-forestry lands uses would lead to serious soil erosion and an unsustainable rural economy.

FUNDECOR's mission is to protect natural resources, using sustainable strategies including the use of market forces, advanced research, and improved public policies. To fulfill that mission, FUNDECOR has defined objectives and policies to protect the natural heritage of the national parks, and to develop financially and environmentally sustainable activities in the areas bordering the national parks.

The principles governing FUNDECOR's activities are:

• Conservation must be a profitable activity for forest owners.
  
• The ecosystems have the capacity for, and must eventually become important elements of, private economic activities.
  
• The business of putting these concepts into practice must be accompanied by the education and experience required to make it possible for sustainable activities to be developed in the national parks.

FUNDECOR believes that conservation and sustainable use of forests should be in the best collective interests of all stakeholders, especially the forest owners. Based on this principle, FUNDECOR developed a holistic strategy to make conservation and sustainable use of forests an economic alternative for forest owners, and a central element of mainstream economic development. This strategy consists of the following programs:

• The Certified Sustainable Forest Management and Protection Program designs and implements improved forest management techniques for small forest owners under the Forest Stewardship Council certification. Certification, among other things, guarantees that forest management and conservation activities are the environmental services for which forest owners receive payment from other stakeholders.

The first step towards the development of a successful plan for sustainable forest management is helping forest owners meet the administrative and legal requirements to formally register the ownership of their lands. FUNDECOR collaborates with forest owners to do this, enabling them to benefit from the incentives offered under Costa Rican law to those who place their forest under a sustainable forest management plan.

• The Reforestation Program establishes contracts with small and medium sized forest owners to replant their properties mostly with native species. In collaboration with a research institution, 70 native species were identified as the most suitable species for reforestation. Work was begun on the production of tree seedlings of those species in nurseries set up by people in the area. With the financial help of the International Finance Corporation, the private sector investment arm of the World Bank, FUNDECOR designed and implemented a system of wood futures that provides farmers a cash flow commensurate with what might be gained from other land uses.
  
• The Environmental Education Program aims to raise public awareness, especially among young people, about the sustainable management of Costa Rica's natural resources. The program works with both public and private Costa Rican schools, and since its beginning more than 100.000 students have participated in its activities. Today, 450 farmers owning 40% of the total forest in the Central Volcanic Range Area are part of FUNDECOR's programs. Recent satellite images and state of the art computer technology shows that the trend of losing natural forest cover was reversed from 1992-1996, bringing the rate of deforestation down from 7,000 to 1,000 hectares per year. FUNDECOR's innovative strategies have proved that conservation and development can coexist in harmony.

Work is underway to extend FUNDECOR's activities to other regions within Costa Rica. They are devising a strategy for the transfer of their technologies to the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy. FUNDECOR also makes their technologies and expertise available to other countries, as well as international environmental organizations.

The key to FUNDECOR's success is its creativity in creating markets that make conservation viable for forest owners. FUNDECOR stands out as one of the world's leading organizations working on the production of new environmental technologies and financial plans for the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. For these reasons, the Board of Governors of the King Baudouin Foundation is pleased to award the 2000 King Baudouin International Development Prize to FUNDECOR, for its innovative approach to environmental protection which brings together economic, ecologic and social concerns in a realistic vision of sustainable development, benefiting local communities as well as the entire planet.