Economic value of the carbon sink services of Costa Rica's forestry plantations

It is estimated that the "average" hectare of plantation forestry in Costa Rica can sequester 7.7 metric tons of Carbon, or 28.2 tons of CO2 per year. Based on this estimate, it is calculated that the 128,000 hectares of fore stry plantations reported have sequestered approximately 4.4 million metric tons of carbon to date (Figure 1.). The average net amount of carbon that has remained scored in this area during the last 20 years is calculated at 750,000 metric tons, with a potential value of 7.5 to 15 million U.S. dolla rs in government issued Carbon Bonds. In addition, the potential value of t he average storage that is likely to occur during the next 20 years, of app roximately 8.5 million tons, is estimated at between 84 and 168 million U.S . dollars, as the prices paid for the bonds may vary widely.