At the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, a unique partnership was forged between the Government of Bolivia, Friends of Nature Foundation (FAN) (a non-profit conservation organization headquartered in Santa Cruz, Bolivia), The Nature Conservancy (the world's largest conservation organization headquartered in Arlington, VA), American Electric Power, (an electric utility company headquartered in Columbus, OH), BP Amoco (a major petroleum company headquartered in London) and PacifiCorp (an electric utility company headquartered in Portland, OR) in 1997 to protect nearly four million acres of threatened tropical forests in the Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia for at least 30 years. The primary purpose of the project is to sequester (capture) carbon dioxide and store carbon that would have been released as a result of logging activities in the area. At the same time, the project preserves one of the richest and most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world and fosters sustainable development in local communities. It is the largest project of its kind in the world and serves as a showcase for an innovative and cost-effective approach to abating greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are increasing rapidly and accumulating in the atmosphere and may trigger adverse global climatic changes.