The Noel Kempff Project in Bolivia has received international acclaim for sequestering carbon, preserving 2.2 million acres of valuable forest, and promoting sustainable livelihoods to neighboring communities.

As one of the largest carbon sequestration projects in the world, the Noel Kempff partnership reduces emissions of greenhouse gases by preventing deforestation from logging and other land uses. The other project partners are American Electric Power (AEP), British Petroleum (BP), the Government of Bolivia, Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN).

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University bestowed its Roy Family Award to PacifiCorp and its partners, as "an outstanding effort by public and private sector organizations working together to protect our environment or preserve uniquely valuable natural resources."

As a power company, PacifiCorp continually seeks ways to reduce the environmental impact of electric generation and usage. The Noel Kempff project has tangible benefits that go beyond carbon offsets. It promotes biodiversity, preserves forests, provides community development funds and secures an important piece of Bolivia’s natural heritage.

With an initial investment of $9.6 million in 1997, the project partners purchased and retired the logging rights on 2 million acres of forestland adjacent to one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world — Bolivia’s Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. The purchase effectively doubled the park’s size, to an area approximately the size of Massachusetts. In addition, an endowment fund was established to ensure that it be protected and well-managed in perpetuity. The project should prevent the emission of 7 million tons of carbon (or more than 21 million metric tons of carbon dioxide) during its 30 years.

According to The Nature Conservancy, deforestation accounts for 25 percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions. When trees are cut and burned they release significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Conversely, healthy, standing forests absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. They serve as one of the few means of removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

Carbon sequestration isn’t the only aim of Noel Kempff’s partners. The partners have worked to cultivate economic development opportunities and improve the quality of life in the local communities. That meant introducing alternative options for sustainable livelihoods and improving the management of natural resources. The project partners also allocated resources to the five communities on the park’s edge. Funding supports revolving loan funds for micro-enterprises, health care and education programs, improvements in the water and transportation infrastructure, and legal assistance to indigenous people seeking land title.