Cameroon has a forest for lease. They’re willing to lease it to loggers and have it destroyed. But they’re also willing to lease it to conservationists and have it preserved. Morally, the Cameroonian government is neutral. Actually, to their credit, they’ve stated a preference for leasing it to an environmental group.
The forest is priced at $1.6 million annually and so far none of the deep-pocketed, save the Earth types have ponied up. There’s not a George Soros, a Bono, or a Bill Gates in sight. Hell, Sir Richard Branson could pay for a good decade out of his walking around money. So what’s going on here?
Turns out that conservation types think the forest is priced too high. Who knew haggling played such a big part in saving the planet? The Cameroonian government says time is running out for the conservationists. As always, big business is on speed-dial ready to mortgage the future for a bump in their stock price. And as corporate mergers, golden parachutes, and the like show us, no price is too high when the suits get involved.
