The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

estricted-­‐range, or otherwise protected species of animals andplants that will benefit from project activities. The social andphysical buffer under development by the Rimba Raya project,includes a comprehensive program to protect and rehabilitatecritical exosystems, which will allow these species to thrive in atime of increasing external pressures and diminishing habitat.To implement the project’s biodiversity programs, InfiniteEARTHhas teamed with Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), anorganization whose founder, Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, has foughtfor nearly 40 years to protect the forests of Tanjung PutingNational Park, rescue threatened orangutans, rehabilitate them,and reintroduce them into the wild. Initial plans call for theconstruction of orangutan release stations and feeding platformsinside the Reserve, the release of 300 rehabilitated orangutans,and the development of a tracking study in conjunction with aglobal outreach and education campaign. Additionally,InfiniteEARTH and OFI field teams and conservation managerswill strengthen and expand protection of Rimba Raya Reservewhich provides habitat for hundreds of species of flora andfauna.Summary CommentsThis Project Design Document is necessarily a technicaldocument, but the subdued tone and copious detail should notdistract the reader from the real and very imminent threatmenacing a forest of unparalleled importance. InfiniteEARTHhopes that the methods and data contained herein will serveothers who are fighting to protect the world’s remaining forestsduring this period of upheaval, innovation, and experimentation.InfiniteEARTH is committed to the creation of somethingenduring and extraordinary in the Rimba Raya BiodiversityReserve. Project proponents believe that the marketmechanisms originally conceived by the UN Panel on ClimateChange are the only viable model for saving the world’sremaining ancient biodiverse forests. Capitalism andconservation can coexist peacefully and equitably. Allstakeholders – including local communities, the host country,project investors, and the wildlife that depend on these forests –can share in the compound benefits generated from thecommercialization of invaluable ecosystem services that RimbaRaya forests provide.“If we lose the battle against tropicaldeforestation, we lose the battle againstclimate change”-­‐ Charles, Prince of Wales6