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the world's vanishing rainforests but also providing clues to how to better manage the vanishing resources that remain around the world. Is it possible that by studying Guyana's ecosystem that scientists may discover how to create an artificial environment that is capable of retaining moisture or even creating rainfall? Will we one day pay, not for fuel to run our cars, but for clean air to breathe? In the not-too-distant future, the eyes of economists may turn toward futures acquisitions that will be backed by the preservation of biodiversity with a focus on renewing resources instead of consuming them.

While the world's rainforests slowly vanish due to deforestation and strip mining, increased amounts of carbon dioxide are being released into the atmosphere. As the sun's rays penetrate the atmosphere their heat is unable to escape its canopy causing what is known as the "greenhouse effect," referred to by scientists as "global warming." Is it any wonder that economists are beginning to realize that investing in the ecosystems of the world like the rainforest of Guyana may be a step in the right direction toward stemming the tide of global warming? Better yet, what about monetarily rewarding its indigenous people who will willingly gate keep their ecological communities while protecting the biodiversity found there?

Paying for tomorrow's resources that we enjoy today for free is not as far-fetched as it might sound. We may all one day have the opportunity to purchase eco-bonds that will mature when the scientific technology they fund has yielded the latest innovation for replication of one of the world's most valuable renewable resources. Understanding the complex ecological communities that support biodiversity may become essential to learning how to manage and sustain life as well as understanding how to create environments that are conducive to its regeneration.

The eyes of both economists and ecologists will likely be watching what may prove to be the first of many joint ventures to preserve the vanishing resources that may be found in the rainforests of the world. Care to hedge a bet to offset the effects of global warming? Well, don't get too excited! It will probably be several years before you and I have the opportunity to invest in the remaining ecosystems on our planet. In the meantime though, Canopy Capital is an investment company worth watching as it pioneers the way for the new field of biodiversity business.

References
http://www. treehugger.com/files/2008/04/l ondon-investors-buy-rainforest .php http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ear th/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/ 03/31/eacanopy131.xml#comments http://iwokrama.org/dwsite/wha tsnew/doc/PressReleaseIwokrama CanopyDeal.pdf http://www.geography.learnonth einternet.co.uk/topics/rainfor est.html

Learn more about this author, Dr. Deborah Bauers.
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